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From the outside, Henry Dunn’s favorite gym looks like any other brick building on East Lincoln Avenue in Milwaukee. A small, shield-like logo in the window that reads “Wisconsin Medieval Combat Center“ is the only external clue that there might be more here than meets the eye.
“With our gym, the first time you get suited up, you have to get hit with the long axe a few times to just get used to it,” said Dunn, a criminal justice student at Madison College. “They hit you in the arm, the chest, the back and the head. It definitely rings your bell a little bit.”
Opened in March of 2024, the Combat Center is home base for the Milwaukee Iron Stags, a weapon-wielding mixed martial arts team that competitively fights in full suits of medieval armor. Despite the distance, Dunn and Patrick Stewart, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have become regulars, happily commuting for the chance to do what they love.
On Saturday, Aug. 22, the Iron Stags (of which Dunn and Stewart are members) will host their biggest event of the year, Cream City Clash, where attendees can watch live fights and learn more about the growing sport of armored combat.
The Iron Stags practice a team melee fight. A fighter is “out” when their body has three points of contact with the ground. The winning team is the one with the last man standing.
Protected from head to ankles
“Armored combat” can refer to a few different styles of fighting. There’s buhurt, from the old French word béhourd meaning “tournament” or “clash,” which includes team fights called melees.
Armored combat fighters compete while wearing genuine metal helmets, like this one at the Wisconsin Medieval Combat Center in Milwaukee.
There’s also Armored Mixed Martial Arts (AMMA), a fast-growing league that focuses on one-on-one matches, which some members of the gym compete in as well. In both, fighters suit up in full armor and try to take down their opponents using both strength and historically accurate weapons like swords, maces or axes.
The armor is an essential part of the sport. Depending on size, a full suit could weigh up to 80 pounds and cost a fighter anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000. Because of this, it’s common for newer fighters to borrow gear from more seasoned teammates.
“I’m hoping to get my own armor soon, it’s just a long wait period for that,” Dunn explained. “There’s a few different armorers and a lot of them are Ukrainian, so right now, obviously, it’s a lot longer process. It typically takes nine months up to a year to get.”
Fights can be intense. There are safety rules in armored combat, like avoiding hits to the eyes, neck and spine for example. While serious injuries are relatively rare, they can still happen.
“One of our guys broke his foot during practice, and then we had a fight in Minnesota where we had a couple injuries again with the feet,” Dunn said. “A lot of you is really heavily armored, but the feet are kind of the weak link.”
Before joining the Stags in fall 2025, Dunn had been doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu since the age of 14.
Bins of metal armor lie scattered throughout the Wisconsin Medieval Combat Center.
“I had seen stuff on Instagram about armored fighting, and I’m a huge nerd, so that really appealed to me,” Dunn said. “I figured, ‘Hey, why not go see a fight?’ I just fell in love with it.”
Similarly, UW-Madison student Stewart had a black belt in tae kwon do before discovering armored combat in 2024. Both the physical and historical aspects of armored combat drew him in.
“Being a teenager, I wanted to blow off some steam, and that’s where this came along,” Stewart said. “Just everything about it appealed to me at that time, and it still does.”
A clash in Cream City
For these two fighters, the fun doesn’t come without commitment. Dunn commutes from Madison to the Milwaukee gym around twice per week.
Iron Stags fighter Patrick Stewart (right) trains with a teammate at the Wisconsin Medieval Combat Center in Milwaukee.
Stewart can visit and commute from his family home in the Milwaukee metro area, but has recently been dealing with a different kind of obstacle: injury. While practicing some judo kicks with a teammate, Stewart said he planted his foot incorrectly and broke one of his tarsal bones.
“It was gnarly. It popped. The whole gym heard it,” he said. “ I didn’t really show it at the time, but I was devastated.”
While he works to rehab his foot, Stewart continues to participate in team practices and is still able to do some light sparring. Both fighters agree that the sacrifices are well worth it for the joy and camaraderie that the sport brings.
“It’s very fun, but also just the people I meet are great,” Dunn said. “Everybody has been so nice, so welcoming, just fantastic people.”
Interest in the sport and its community seems to be growing too. Stewart recalled wearing armor around Madison for a recent photoshoot and getting a lot of positive feedback.
“People are very taken aback and very interested when I talk about it,” Stewart said. “So many people came up to us asking about what the deal was. The excitement is definitely there.”
The Wisconsin Medieval Combat Center welcomes anyone 18 or older to visit the gym and check out armored combat for themselves. Sixteen and 17-year-olds are welcome with parental permission.
Those interested can also attend Cream City Clash to see the sport in action and keep an eye peeled for more upcoming events in the area.
“Definitely expect a good time,” Dunn said. “Expect a lot of friendly people. Expect a good show.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source captimes.com ’
