Armor with a special genital codpiece area composed of pieces from a garniture made for Emperor Maximilian II (1527–1576) at the "Iron Man – Fashion in Steel" exhibit.

This is the world of modern medieval battle, a human demolition derby where men and women wearing up to 100 pounds of armor slash and hammer one another with blunted steel swords, axes and maces ...

The competitors' equipment, made of steel and titanium, must be historically accurate. The sound of steel when a sword hits the enemy's helmet resonates in the room like the bells of ...

“The fatigue level in armor is a ratio of one-to-five,” says Zorikh Lequidre, 54, one of the sport’s first American competitors and now a trainer, coach and announcer for Gladiators NYC events.

Armored MMA, a newer sport, is coming to the Hall of Fame Village in Canton on June 7. Armored MMA mixes martial arts with body armor, swords and shields. Fighters battle in a cage. Tickets, $50 ...

"A suit of medieval armor loads the lower limbs. You have 7 or 8 kilos [15 to 18 pounds] of armor on the legs, so when you swing your legs, your muscles are having to do much more work," Askew says.