"That the f*****g kumite" - Fans baffled by alleged MMA organization's resemblance to $1.5 million Jean-Claude Van Damme movie

MMA has seen several curious permutations, and a newer organization is now delving into a formula that is familiar to many 80s action movie enthusiasts. Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bloodsport specifically have a lot of roots in the world of mixed martial arts with the adage of "What's old is new again" even applying to combat sports.

With the UFC done promoting events for this calendar year, some combat sports aficionados are still looking for their fix of fighting. A circuit known as Dogfight Wild Tournament has been promoting events throughout the year involving a masked figure banging a gong to begin contests and combatants fighting on a unique, slanted platform of sorts which evoked some core memories for many.

This came across in an ensuing tweet thread after X account @BenTheBaneDavis posted footage of the event and fellow users on the platform came out in droves with JCVD references aplenty.

@RudysRings said,

"is that the f*****g kumite"

@P_Jonezz stated,

"this is bloodsport"

@MegaDriv3 quipped,

"Needs more 80s music lol"

[Images Courtesy: @BenTheBaneDavis tweet thread on X]

Check out the MMA promotion that has many thinking about Bloodsport below:

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MMA action remaining in 2024

While the UFC has promoted its last shows of the year with UFC 310 and UFC Tampa, MMA still has several regional-level events going on as well as a few major international cards to keep fans fired up in the waning days of the calendar year.

Shooto 2024 Final in Osaka kicks off on Dec. 28 at 11:00 PM Eastern time with one of the most tenured promotions in the sport's history offering up a pair of title fights topping the card. Shohei Nose and Daiki Tsubota headline the card with a battle set to take place for the pacific rim bantamweight championship.

Also, the vacant Shooto strawweight title will be on the line in the co-main event as Koyuru Tanoue and Ken Asahina will test skills against one another.

Road FC 71 goes down on Dec. 29 at midnight eastern time and the South Korea-based promotion features a pair of title fights with interim middleweight gold and vacant atomweight hardware being fought for. The championship clashes are Dong Hwan Lim versus In Jae La and Jeong Eun Park versus Yu Jin Shin, respectively.

Oktagon 65 goes down on Dec. 29 from Prague with a trifecta of title fights. Ronald Paradeiser and Losene Keita battle for the lightweight strap. A light heavyweight title fight is set between Karlos Vemola and Will Fleury, plus a vacant bantamweight title fight for the OKMMA crown is booked with Lucie Pudilova versus Cecilie Bolander.

The capstone to any MMA fan's year is the New Year's eve festivities that the Japanese scene is known for. Rizin Decade features names like Kyoji Horiguchi, Seika Izawa, Roberto 'Satoshi' De Souza, Chihiro Suzuki, and Kleber Koike bolstering a massive card with several title clashes set for the proceedings.