Incredible Photos of Britain’s Bare Knuckle Fight Club Scene

This story is from the spring 2025 edition of VICE magazine: THE ROCK BOTTOM ISSUE. To subscribe to receive 4 print issues of our newly relaunched magazine each year, click here.

Spartan Bare Knuckle Fight Club is the UK’s only licensed 8x8ft bare-knuckle pit fighting syndicate. A kind of rolling mobile punch-up that draws baying crowds across the north of England, Spartan bouts are short, bloody, and brutal, and often end in knockouts.

Yet beneath the violence, the club aims to be a lifeline in difficult times. It was initially set up to prevent knife crime, allowing disputes to be settled before they escalate, with one condition: you shake hands and the argument is left in the pit.

Over seven years, Spartan has become a form of community and therapy for men battling ill mental health, addiction, and crime. A new VICE film, Spartan Bare Knuckle, follows the club and some of its key fighters in the build up to its main summer event, Fight Fest.

Watch it in the player below:

These photographs, taken by Jonangelo Molinari before, during, and after the production of the documentary, offer a glimpse into this world of cathartic belligerence.

Follow Jonangelo Molinari on Instagram @jonangelo_molinari

Watch Spartan Bare Knuckle here now.

This story is from the spring 2025 edition of VICE magazine: THE ROCK BOTTOM ISSUE. To subscribe to receive 4 print issues of our newly relaunched magazine each year, click here.