The sound of metal clashing violently echoes throughout the fighting grounds — referred to as a “list” — as six armor-clad men try to take each other down to the ground and win the skirmish.
Leading the men is Cory Alexander, viewing the battle and ready to step in and offer coaching — or to lead by example by demonstrating firsthand the techniques that he wants his squad of men and women to employ.
Though their armor and weapons are authentic, the scene described is not set in the Middle Ages. This modern-day team of athletes is practicing the sport of buhurt.
Derived from the French word “béhourd,” which translates to “wallop,” buhurt is a full-contact combat sport that sees its participants using blunted steel weapons and mixed martial arts techniques to fight each other while wearing authentic suits of armor.
Orlando Weekly had the chance to visit the training grounds for the Florida Fire Drakes, the premier buhurt team for the state of Florida, and interview the aforementioned Cory Alexander, the owner of the team, as well as some of the team members. Right away, Alexander made clear what the appeal of the sport is for him compared to other combat sports.
“It allows us to use a lot of disciplines of mixed martial arts and apply them in a unique way when we’re fighting,” Alexander said.
Blaine Boone, one of the lead instructors on the team, also shared what makes the sport so appealing to him: “I think many young men dream about being a knight at some point growing up. This gives me a chance to live that dream out, in a way.”
Alexander has a deeply rooted passion for buhurt because the sport allows him to pursue two things that he is passionate about at the same time.
“I trained out of the American Combat Club, and I was very interested in a sport that could combine my love for mixed martial arts with my appreciation for medieval history,” Alexander said.
This appreciation helps him with some of the finer details, such as making sure the armor and weapons being used are within regulation.
While there are different styles and time periods to choose from when selecting what armor will be worn into battle, the style of weapon that a fighter chooses must be consistent with said armor — at least within 50 years of the period the armor is emulating.
That’s not to say that the armor and weapons are actually from these time periods, however. While they are made in the style of medieval armor, and are emulating the designs as much as possible, all of the armor and weapons that the Florida Fire Drakes use is hand-forged by modern blacksmiths. Acquiring and maintaining the equipment is but one of the unique challenges that Alexander deals with.
“All of the equipment is authentic, and both the logistics and cost of acquiring them, as well as maintaining them, are hurdles we face as we manage the team. However, one of the biggest challenges we face is showing people that this is a legitimate sport, and trying to address that stigma to get more and more people interested and involved in it,” Alexander said.
Despite these hardships, the benefits that the sport has had even in the day-to-day lives of the team members seems to make everything worth it.
“The community we’ve built here is really special. Our team has an inclusive culture that gives a home to many different kinds of people, which is truly great,” Alexander said.
Improving lives is another part of the passion Alexander has for the sport, and what drives his ambitions for the future of the team. Speaking of the future, Alexander shared the Fire Drakes’ next moves:
“We’re fighting in Nashville, Tennessee, on January 14th and 15th at the AMCF national qualifier, and we’ll be competing for the chance to represent the United States national team fighting overseas in Spain. One of our goals is to earn the chance to compete internationally as well … we want to become the number one buhurt team in the world!”
Related Stories
The 5 biggest headlines Orlando Weekly saw this week
This article appears in Feb 1-7, 2023.