The Meat Grinder: How Russia Fell in Love with Bloody Sport

Blood is spilled here, bones are broken, people lose consciousness—stars flash within weeks, and any argument can turn into a fight. Bare-knuckle bouts, pop-MMA, and battles on YouTube have become a phenomenon that many people don’t like, but everyone talks about. Millions of viewers are fascinated by street fighters, bloggers, celebrities, and desperate athletes who step into the arena for money, popularity, and adrenaline. Journalist and researcher of the fighting industry Aleksey Alyokhin tells how fistfights evolved into mass sport. “The Meat Grinder” is a detailed and gripping chronicle of the world of modern fighting, where—like under a microscope—absurdity, chaos, and the cheerful savagery of Russian reality are plainly visible.