Neo-Nazi Fight Club: The Secret Tournaments Fuelling a Far-Right Revival
All across Europe and even the USA, neo-Nazi groups face off in unlicensed combat. But the goal of these tournaments is not just to crown a winner, but to spread fascist ideology.
Kickboxing, MMA, and other forms of combat sports come together under a shadowy banner across Europe. Neo-Nazis have fought each other in an underground tournament called the Kampf der Nibelungen (KDN) or “Battle of the Rings,” named after the Wagnerian Ring Saga, since 2013.
This combat sports tournament, organised by German, French, and Hungarian neo-Nazis, has been a staple for the most violent neo-Nazi groups across Europe.
Mostly organised in secret, the tournament was exposed by anti-fascist research groups and consequently came to the attention of the German authorities, who have banned the event on several occasions over the last decade.
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However, this has not stopped the organisers from setting up other tournaments across Europe. According to the KdN, the organising group behind the tournament, there will be a new tournament in 2025, and they aim to host it in Germany once again, viewing the country as the natural home ground for the neo-Nazi movement.
The tournament is deeply international in its organisation. Groups like Blood and Honour, Combat 18, Die Rechte, Hammerskins, and members and fans of the neo-Nazi band Kategorie C have always kept close contact with each other. Many of these groups stem from nations with entrenched far-right subcultures, such as Germany, Hungary, Poland, France, and Russia.
Connections are maintained through shared events like concerts, rallies, and hooligan networks, as well as through digital neo-Nazi sites.
This ideology is not confined by national borders or historical animosities. For instance, Polish and German neo-Nazis—despite their countries’ devastating wartime history—have formed alliances, unified by their collective loathing of the left, Jews, the establishment, and the LGBTQ+ community. These shared adversaries have eroded old divisions, forging a pan-European extremist network that operates with alarming cohesion.
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