Lamb of God<\/a>, which plays aggressive rock, combining speed, death, thrash and heavy metal.<\/p>\nThe band has a big following, including roughly 4 million Facebook followers and around a million on Instagram. Lamb of God broke through on the metal scene in 2000 with the release of the album, “New American Gospel,” which includes the songs, “Laid to Rest” and “Omerta.” Other popular songs include “Walk with Me In Hell” and “Redneck.”<\/p>\n
Drowning Pool is best known for its platinum-selling song, “Bodies,” featured on the 2001 album, “Sinner,” which reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Drowning Pool’s songs also include, “Rise Up,” which became a theme song for WWE SmackDown in 2006.<\/p>\n
Brutal, violent and entertaining<\/h2>\n The first Canton event was a rowdy spectacle before a few thousand fans who packed the Center for Performance. Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium has a capacity of around 23,000.<\/p>\n
Production includes smoke, pyrotechnics, strobe lights, heavy metal music and a provocative ringside announcer.<\/p>\n\n\nMickey Guida is president of Armored MMA. He is also a fighter who participated at an Armored MMA event at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Armored MMA is a unique style of combat sport. Competitors wear body armor and wield swords, axes and shields. The sport blends mixed martial arts with medieval-style gladiator combat.<\/p>\n
Covered from head to toe in armor plating and peering through helmet slits, brawlers take opponents to the canvas and wage raw and brutal battles inside a caged circular ring. Fighters engage in hand-to-hand combat, pushing and grappling. Kicks and forearm blows are also landed.<\/p>\n
Fighters win by knockout, technical knockout or landing more strikes.<\/p>\n\n\nArmored MMA fans watch an event at the Center for Performance at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton. Fights feature a bizarre mix of martial arts, swords and armor.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
‘This is what we dreamed of.’<\/h2>\n Mickey Guida, president of Armored MMA, also competes as a fighter in the sport. Armored MMA is expanding its appeal and growing its fan base, Guida said, with more than 90,000 subscribers on YouTube<\/a> and more than 600,000 followers on\u00a0 Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n“This is what we dreamed of when we created Armored MMA,” Guida said in a prepared statement. “Crowning our 2025 champions in a historic venue, with iconic bands and an unmatched atmosphere, is the perfect way to make history for our fighters and our fans. This is as metal as you can get.”<\/p>\n
Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com. On Instagram at ed_balint.<\/em><\/p>\nIf you go<\/h2>\n What:<\/strong> Armored MMA Championship Fest<\/p>\nWhen: <\/strong>1 p.m. Oct. 18<\/p>\nWhere: <\/strong>Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium at Hall of Fame Village, 1901 Champions Gateway, Canton.<\/p>\nDetails:<\/strong> Medieval-style mixed martial arts combat and championship fights, plus live music with headliner Lamb of God and special guest Drowning Pool. Food trucks, craft beer and other beverages will be available, plus regional musical artists.<\/p>\nAdmission:<\/strong> For tickets<\/a> and more details<\/a>, go to https:\/\/armoredmmaxp.com.<\/a> Tickets are $85 for general admission; $162 for cage side; and $216 for VIP club seats.<\/p>\n\n