Armored League Books Hammerstein Ballroom for Nov. 21 Titles
Fighters in heavy steel armor will swing swords and axes at each other inside a Manhattan ballroom on Saturday, Nov. 21. The Armored League is staging its largest event to date, and two world championships are on the line.
What Modern Medieval Combat is
Modern Medieval Combat is full contact: athletes in heavy steel armor fight with blunted swords and axes. The organizers say the fights are real contests with no predetermined result, unlike choreographed medieval entertainment.
Heavy armor weighs on every move, so footing and balance matter. Fighters look for angles to strike and try to overwhelm opponents up close. A long exchange can wear a fighter down, and one who loses balance may struggle to recover.
Growing from small rooms
The league began holding New York events two years ago. It moved from smaller alternative venues to Palladium Times Square and Melrose Ballroom, and it has sold out shows in Bushwick.
Executive Producer Pedro Navarro said people had seen medieval battles in movies and books, and that New York's audience was already waiting for "the real thing".
The venue and the tickets
About 2,000 spectators are expected. The arena is built for fighting from all sides, with balcony seating above. Tickets start at $43.50. A press conference is set for the evening before, Friday, Nov. 20, at Ideal Glass Studios in Manhattan.
Eight fighters, two belts
Abeid "Mando" Mitchell carries the hometown banner. He has won Armored League titles several times and is among the best-known names in New York's armored-combat scene.
Seattle's Johny "Vagabond" Porter has an established rivalry with Emil "Skrubol" Guz of Poland. They would have to advance first, but a rematch is possible.
Poland also sends Marcin "Lil Dentist" Janiszewski, a second-generation armored fighter. Antonio "Steel Bunny" Penedo fights for Mexico, and Romain "Romaios" Crespeau comes from Normandy in France. California's Nathaniel "Gaston" Gaston and Colombian-American Manuel "Armored Guecha" York complete the eight.
The show is named the Armored League World Championship and is also called TAL 24. It takes place at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom. Titles will be awarded at 175 and 195 pounds.
Doors open at 6 p.m. ET, and bouts begin an hour later. TikTok LIVE will carry a stream.
Source: Combat Press