History Main / FightClubbing

Third rule of Fight Club: if someone yells "stop!", goes limp, or taps out, the fight is over.\\

* Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone runs an underground fight club in ''WebAnimation/{{The Champions|2018}}'' called Fightletico, which involves the Atletico players as well as anyone who wants to get involved. Notable members include Diego Costa, Luis Suarez, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, and Marouane Fellaini, with Antoine Griezmann joining at Simeone's insistence.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* One of the major events in the pregame of ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' version three was an underground fighting tournament in the basement of a bar called Shooters. The tournament was a major enough event that it is still referenced in the occasional post during the main game. It is a slight subversion, though, in that tournament organizers Montezzo Valtieri and Lucas Dasai were said to have gone through the proper channels to make sure the tournament was completely legal.
** Played a bit more literally in version four and its pregame with Garrett Hunter, who created his own Fight Club based on the film and actually sees himself as Tyler Durden.
[[/folder]]

* ''WebVideo/NightmareTime:'' In the episode "Yellow Jacket," the abandoned Hatchetfield roller-rama has been turned into an underground fighting ring for children with psychic abilities.

* Pam from ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' is shown in a flashback to have financed her college tuition through a highly successful and deadly tour of these. Her back is tattooed with over a dozen kill marks from these fights along with a quote from Lord Byron's "Destruction of Sennacherib." This reveal starkly marks her transition in the show from ButtMonkey to BoisterousBruiser.
* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', where a skit has Stewie telling Brian about him not getting the rules of Fight Club right. Stewie, being AmbiguouslyGay, thought the first rule was to wear g-string underwear.
* In ''[[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirBender Avatar the Last Airbender]]'', an underground earthbending tournament presented like one of these, is where the heroes initially encounter Toph, before recruiting her to join them and teach Aang earthbending.

* The Book 4 premiere of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' has a smaller-scale example. [[spoiler:Korra is fighting there incognito after tricking her parents into thinking she has headed back to Republic City.]] The next episode [[OnceMoreWithClarity reveals that]] [[spoiler:she was fighting her EnemyWithout, rather than her actual opponent.]]
* The ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays Secret Saturdays]]'' episode "Cryptid vs. Cryptid" features a cryptid fighting ring.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToddMcFarlanesSpawn'' - with added cannibalism.
* Seen in the ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (2003) episode "Fallen Angel", where this is one of the hurdles a candidate must pass in order to enter the Purple Dragons gang.
* Parodied on ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' during the origin of Billy Quizboy, where he and Pete White earn money for a cross-country road trip on a circuit of illegal underground cutthroat ''[[MundaneMadeAwesome Quiz Shows]]''. Billy then gets his arm ripped off as a result of White having confused a ''Mexican dog fighting ring'' with one of these.

* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' has unsub who takes part in one of these. However the unsub is a weakling and is beaten by just about everyone, so he settles for ambushing and shooting his opponents in cold blood as his way of dominating them.

* ''Series/HawaiiFive0'': The Five-0 team deals with one in one episode, a fight club that has kidnapped the daughter of a well-known MMA fighter to force her to fight in an exhibition match. In a bit of LampshadeHanging, [=McGarrett=] and Chin Ho [[ShoutOut promptly quote the "You do not talk about Fight Club" line]] upon learning of the group.

* In ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'', protagonist Wei Shen can compete in a number of these scattered around Hong Kong.

* In every ''Videogame/{{Yakuza}}'' game, there is always a secret underground fighting tournament that the protagonists will have to fight a few rounds of in order to progress the plot, though afterwards you can participate on your own accord.

* ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW The Transformers: Megatron Origins]]'' had Megatron establish an underground gladiator arena where lower-class bots could engage in illegal fights prior to the outbreak of the Cybertron Civil War. Notable contestants (beyond Megatron himself) included Grimlock, Overlord, and Scorponok. Also, Cy-Kill, who in fine Hasbro tradition was shown getting scrapped by Megatron.

* ''Film/HardTimes'' starring Charles Bronson, is another classic example in film. It follows a bare knuckle fighter named Chaney through the world of underground boxing in Depression era Louisiana.

* The tradition of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_fencing academic fencing]] or ''Mensur'' is still practiced by some student fraternities in the German-speaking world (and other areas of central Europe). The aim is not so much to defeat your opponent, but to get a [[XMarksTheHero cool scar or two]] in your face. A hundred years ago, such a ''Schmiss'' was regarded as a badge of honour among the German upper classes.

* ''ComicBook/Robin1883'': "The Legless Master" (one of Tim Drake's martial arts instructors) and his brother "The Armless Master" (one of [[ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} Selina Kyle]]'s martial arts instructors) made a name for themselves in the underground Thai fighting circuit in their youth.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': "The Legless Master" (one of Tim Drake's martial arts instructors) and his brother "The Armless Master" (one of [[ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} Selina Kyle]]'s martial arts instructors) made a name for themselves in the underground Thai fighting circuit in their youth.

* ComicBook/WonderWoman:

* ''Film/BornToDefense'' has the protagonist, Jet (played by a then-19 Creator/JetLi) partaking in an illegal boxing match in a seedy bar somewhere in downtown Qingdao after being mocked by a burly American sailor who made some derogatory comments on the local Chinese.

* In the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}} Sun and Moon'' anime, a pair of Lycanroc, a Midday and a Midnight, appear to run a Pokémon Fight Club at a place called Clawmark Hill. That's where dozens of wild Pokémon fight each other--among them, the Rockruff that stayed with Professor Kukui. Needless to say, [[PutOnABus the location is never once brought up after its debut episode]] in favor of showing other trainers with Rockruff's evolutions.

* In season 11 of ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'', Drew gets beat up by gang members. He deals with the resulting PTSD by joining a fight club.

* ''Film/{{Unleashed}}'': Has main character Danny forced to compete in one of these, by his cruel master. Apparently small fortunes can be made by betting on these high stakes matches. However all fights are "to the death".

* In ''VideoGame/EscapeFromButcherBay'' the Double Max area of the eponymous prison has a fighting ring where prisoners, and even guards compete. Rising through the ranks and defeating the current champion Bam, is one way to progress the story. And according to WordOfGod the canonical one.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'': One of the attractions on Pleasure Island is the "Rough House", where boys are encouraged come in and duke it out.