Armored MMA has me convinced the No. 1 cause of death in medieval times was exhaustion, boredom

What if the knights traded in the round table for a round cage, then beat the shit out of one another?

That’s the premise of M-1 Medieval Armored MMA, the new combat sport that combines medieval times with mixed martial arts, for some reason. Combatants dress up in clunky suits of armor — which include shields and swords — then go for broke while a “marshal” (referee) keeps them honest with the yellow flag of justice.

Call it the Middling Ages.

Here’s a clip from the promotion’s “Music City” fight card

earlier this month at Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

Watching this fight makes me wonder how anyone died during medieval combat.

Armored MMA pro fights consist of three, two-minute rounds, with two-minute rest periods. Fighters must compete in the same weight class (consisting of strawweight through titanweight) and have matching weapon sets. Ground fighting is limited to 15 seconds — which jaded MMA fans should love.

For much more on Armored MMA check out its YouTube library here.