Imagine stepping into an octagonal ring to face a clumsy man in a fight combining judo and Thai boxing, including wrestling, with just about any shot allowed: kicks, punches, knees, elbow, even when the opponent is on the ground.
That’s MMA or mixed martial arts. A sport still banned in many countries because of its violence. But in Putin’s holy Russia, and especially in the Republic of Dagestan, neighboring Chechnya, MMA is a religion, and Khabib Nurmagomedov, one of the great champions of the discipline, is his idol.
The strongman of the Kremlin, who worships the power of the male body, has even bet on MMA as a propaganda tool to glorify the image of the brave Russian people, virile and quick to defend their homeland, even if it means attacking in first a free nation that threatened him in no way. Idar Aibar’s documentary presented this evening looks back on this extreme sport and its patriotic instrumentalization.
“MMA travels among extreme fighters”, June 19, 8:35 p.m., La Trois.
