Crowds cheer on Super Angaluma, champion of the Kasa Vubu District, as he puts his opponent into an arm lock. Jackson Fager for VICE News.
Sacré Nfumu savored this brief moment of victory. Five minutes later he was soaked in blood lying on the ground ten feet from the ring, babbling to some Congolese nurse who his friends couldn’t stand but who he called mama. Jackson Fager for VICE News.
This is Miss Marth, three-time champion and master of the emerging smoke bomb. She eats two cans of sardines every day. She’s also in the military and a mother of three. Jackson Fager for VICE News.
This is Bras de Fer. His shells come from Lake Kivu near the border with Rwanda. They sleep under his bed. For Bras de Fer, when he holds the shells up to his ear he says he hears animals mating, taxi cabs honking, and his opponents breathing heavily in fear. Jackson Fager for VICE News.
A local fighter lays "dead" after his opponent tears out his guts and eats them. At a Catch Fetiche match, its sometimes hard to figure out what's real and what's part of the show. Jackson Fager for VICE News.