The Dutch Fighting Dogma

October 29th, 2022

Gloves wet from body sweat, gorgeous ring girls walking over blood trailed mats, and two people stuck in a cage who are legally obliged to fuck each other up.

Welcome to Levels Fight League (LFL). 

The league is an Amsterdam-based Mixed Martial Arts promotion that is organised by fighters for fighters, and it has one goal in mind. To become Europe’s leading player in the fight game. When I attended the event, all I could think was that they have the ability to reach that goal.

The fight cards were held in the Transformatorhuis in Westerpark. The space felt like we were in a scene from Fight Club. Tupac and Biggie Smalls bopping in the background through the loud sound system. Spectators were all quietly acknowledging each other but kept to themselves and their groups, remembering to not break that sacred first rule. The late 19th century industrial building had 30 feet tall brick walls from its gas work haydays, and the windows so high that the tense allure of partial light creates. In the midst of it all was an elevated platform, and there it presented itself, the infamous cage stage ubiquitous in the MMA fighting world. 

I was ready to see some broken eye sockets and gushing cuts from fighter’s forehead, but the adrenaline in me from that imagery was building up a little too quickly that it made me slightly queasy. I went to the bar and calmed my nerves with a cold Heinken Silver, and after taking my first few swigs the opening fights were starting.

In true fighting sport style, there was a charismatic announcer who was able to rev the crowd up with his loud voice and elongate words to create this riser effect. As he was speaking, everyone was waiting in anticipation for him to announce the names. Then it began.

“IIINNNN THE RED CORNER, HE WEIGHS 70 KGS AND IS 182 METERS TALL, COMING FROM THE CITY OF HOONNNGG KOOONGG, JUUULLLLLEEESSSS BRUNNNOOOO.”

The crowd goes wild, with supporters of his standing up and shouting from the right side of the crowd and parts of the cageside seats. All the while, he slowly moves towards the cage with Skepta playing in the background as his walk out song. His eyes were deadlocked in the middle of the cage, as if he was imagining scenarios before the actual fight and you could see he heard nothing. He was in full fighter mode, a state that made my spine feel like it was going through a state of paresthesia. He approaches the referee, who checks his gloves and body to ensure that he only has his limbs and knuckles to fend for himself.

The announcer proceeds to call up the opponent in the same fashion, but this time the atmosphere was different. When the opponent walks up, you could see that it was the first time the fighter's eyes have met. All this time they have known each other from statistical basis, videos, and pictures but never in the flesh. Their eyes were locked onto each other like two hunters looking down their scopes and finally finding prey after hours of trekking up a mountain.

The opponent walked into the cage, there was small chatter among the teams of each fighter, small pep talks of motivation and strategy. Suddenly, the referee called the two fighters up, the coaches had to leave the cage, and the doors were locked. From this point on, it was the moment of fight or flight. Abruptly, the bell rang and the fight began.

Jabs were thrown left and right, sweat bursting out everytime a glove connected to a face. Uppercuts into the abdominals where you could consequently see each muscle fiber tensing up from the impact of the punches. High leg kicks into the side of the face and solid takedowns making the mats shake. As I was watching the two fighters, I couldn’t help to think that it wasn’t two gladiators fighting but two technical competitors playing a game of chess but with higher consequences. I wanted to get a better understanding of what these fighters are thinking, so I decided to get into the mind of the technical fighter, Jules Bruno.

“Being in the cage wasn’t familiar but it was at the same time, It was way more intense than sparring. Once you are in there, it was just a blur, I couldn’t hear anything. All I heard was white noise in the background. You don’t really have time to think in there, I was almost in autopilot mode. You have to put everything on the line. You have to get ready to hurt someone, but also remember to get ready to get hurt by someone.”

After listening to Bruno’s experience, it was a reminder that these fighters weren’t hoodlums arbitrarily swinging punches but sportspeople making calculated decisions. But why is it that there are little to no platforms for these athletes in Dutch society? Why is it that we rarely hear about UFC events being held in the supposedly open-minded city of Mokum? Donavan Panayiotis, a father and coach turned promoter/organizer of LFL, mentions that “[MMA is] quite negative in Holland, the society here frowns upon physical altercation. People don’t see the skill and technical element of it. [In order to be a MMA fighter one] has to be a master at 7 or more disciplines, and you have no idea which discipline your opponent might use against you. It takes more of a cerebral fighter to be successful.”

Donavan believes that through consistent LFL events he would be able to change the Dutch perspective on MMA. “In the past, I heard a lot of parents and families are showing up to the show which is really what we are striving for. I hear people say, my mother and aunty came and they did not know what to expect, but they enjoyed it because they understand it now. They actually see their son doing the work. They know their son, [but finally] see him in the cage doing what he has been training for. Suddenly they see the other fighters in a different light, instead of seeing them as barbarians, they see them as athletes.” 

Donavan reminds me that people tend to not like what they don’t understand, and that is what LFL is about. “Fighting is like learning the craft of university in macroeconomics, when you finish the course you have a greater understanding of it.”

However, it may take time before the stigma towards MMA dissipates. Donavan says “Holland [is] mainly a kickboxing heavy nation, so it will take time for them to develop MMA skills. It will take time to build the Dutch scene, one adjustment we made is the new talent show. [It] catches guys at a lower level, maybe even post amateur, this is the area where the guys can develop their skills and craft their craft much more frequently.” He also mentions that for the pro cards they are planning on creating a TV series where it would allow viewers to get to know the fighters on a human level, a similar move as UFC Fight Pass.

After attending the event and picking the brains of the ones involved. I walked away believing LFL is more than just a fight showcase. It's an event that challenges stigmas, an event that educates people of the unknown, an event that holds the value Amsterdam praises proudly, open-mindedness. If you love a bit of aggression, a competitive atmosphere, old school hip hop tracks and seeing proper knockouts. Look out for the next Levels Fight League event in January 2023 or find them on Viaplay!