Yes, it’s a real thing.
But pro pillow fighting is not a punchline . Nor is it a tardy - dark forwarding at Tootsie ’s . It is , in fact , the latest organized sport to come out of South Florida , and the folk dangle the downy weapons are as fierce as anyone you ’d find inside the octagon .
“ I saw it online and thought , ‘ This affair is a joke , ’ ” says bare knuckle boxer Marcus Brimage , who previously stand tall as Connor McGregor ’s first MMA opposite . “ But I got in there , and someone slaps my case with a pillow , and then I ’m into it . You do n’t give care about nothing else . ”
Brimage was one of 24 fighters—16 male and eight female — vie inPillow Fight Championship ’s Pound Down , a one - night tourney to top the sport ’s very first champions . It ’s a little like UFC was back in the day , minus the CTE , of course . But , perhaps more importantly , the brilliant mix of humor , childhood nostalgia , and good honest-to-god - fashioned primal bloodlust may well make it the world ’s next big play delirium .
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secret plan play might be work in advancement , but the heat is realPFC is the inspiration of Steve and Paul Williams , serial entrepreneurs who kick things off with a few smaller show dissipate around South Florida and Brazil . And , on the scene at PFC ’s first full - scale remuneration - Per - vista outcome , it feels just like any other small - plate fight night .
A collection of shady look hustler surrounds the pack , dripping in velour tracksuits and heavy jewelry of undetermined quality . Tuxedoed announcers introduce the competitors for each bout of “ nocturnal cervix support combat ” while an interview of rip Floridians sourced from local gym cheer on their repp - mate . If they ’re smart , they may also be jockeying for post in succeeding fights — tonight ’s action pays each participant $ 250 , not bad for throwing a pillow around for a twain of minutes .
The program ’s first rung involves a man made up like Joaquin Phoenix ’s variant of Joker taking on a shorter human beings , also done up like the Joker . As the doorbell knell , the smaller Joker , who is trained in capoeira , spins around , whips his pillow back , and SMACK ! He down a clean blow to the tall man , whose head teacher snaps back , blanched war paint flying . They both pause , then smile .
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“ This is a literal fight ! ” Steve Williams blurts excitedly from his ringside seat positioning . “ This is not a circus . ”
Clown makeup aside , he ’s right . Though the taller Joker cackles and dancing to an well-off victory in this first competitiveness , his 2d fourth dimension up sees a real melee break out after he continued pelting an opponent that dropped his pillow .
“ Is he hypothesize to do that ? ” I ask Williams .
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“ We ’re still working the rule out , ” he responds .
On the surface , the regulation are pretty straightforward : Fights consist of two , 90 - second rounds , where battler hit each other with especially designed ripstop nylon pillow fit out with six handles to amend speed and mastery . They ’re grade on how many strikes they land , though even the judges seemed confused as to what count as a smash . Then again , that ’s not a whole lot different than million - dollar fisticuffs friction match .
paladin all over South Florida are embracing the new platformMost of the sport ’s current combatants are local bagger and MMA fighter , and the Williams ’ have had no difficulty bump player .
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“ My telephone set ’s pass off every second with fighter asking , ‘ How do I sign up ? ’ ” says Steve Williams . “ Everyone require to fight , but they do n’t want the mental capacity terms . And we have a agency for people to enjoy the scheme and chill of a real fight without the risk . ”
While the conditioning and coordination traditional combat variation demand give an opposite a well-defined vantage , Paul Williams say there ’s no reason an average person ca n’t also throw their chapeau — er , nightcap — in the ring . One of the PFC Pound Down ’s top contenders , TJ Jenkins , is an auto detailer from Delray who possess a line not far from the Williams ’ offices .
He battled Mike Trujillo in the Nox ’s 2d go - around . After an vivid commutation of pillow punch consanguineous to aHagler - Hearnsshowdown , Trujillo found the pillow too profound to cabbage less than a moment into round two . After Jenkins landed a barrage of nylon slaps to Trujillo ’s unprotected head , the referee stepped in and hold back the engagement . We just bore spectator to the first technical knockout in pillow press chronicle .
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The gang take fire like it had just seen a man knocked out dusty , the aboriginal excitement palpable despite the frigid January gelidity .
“ Since the starting time of time , we ’ve been see battles more intently than anything else , ” says Paul Williams . “ In modern biography , we ’ve purified it a little bit , but when it comes down to it , this is two guy wire murder each other . This is replete — we ca n’t look away . ”
By night ’s remainder — around 2 am , give or take — both a men ’s and adult female ’s variance admirer emerge triumphant . Each obligate up an oversized $ 5,000 check and a backing bash , a ashen smile daub to their nerve .
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For now , both PFC ’s rules and business programme rest indecipherable . Williams address of a franchised mannequin , where he sells struggle setups to bar and agitate school day to gymnasium . He ’s less enthusiastic about ticketed events , but bullish on Pay - Per - View . However it continue , professional pillow fighting is undeniably entertaining , abound with all the hullabaloo , none of the gore , and just enough Miami silliness to make it a smasher .
