BRADENTON, Fla. — Welcome to Medieval Armored Combat, where old world meets new world.

It's where martial arts meets armored fighting and Excalibur meets Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It’s street fighting with real steel, real swords, real axes, real knights in shining armor.

What You Need To Know

  •  Medieval Armored Combat features real people fighting in real steel with real weapons

  •  The Tampa Swamp Kings are one of three Florida teams that compete in tournaments

  •  The armored uniforms must conform to medieval times and can weigh up to 100 pounds

“This is where a lot of nerd rage comes into play,” said Kenneth Thompson, a member of the Tampa Swamp Kings.

As in most sports, the uniform is everything — everyone’s armor is different, tailored to their specific tastes and needs. You won’t find zippers or clasps. Why? Because they did not have them back in medieval times. Every uniform, which can weight up to 100 pounds and cost thousands of dollars, must be historically correct for combat.

The Tampa Swamp Kings, one of three Florida teams that compete in tournaments, practice in a park in Bradenton, and most participants found their way to this unique and creative sport after trying MMA fighting, tae kwon do or working out at the gym. For whatever reason, those activities didn’t take, but this one did.

“There’s history involved, there’s brotherhood and fellowship involved,” Thompson said. “There’s just a lot more bonding involved in this.”

These knights, when the armor is off, come from all walks of life. One team member is an accountant, while another a firefighter. Kenneth Thompson is an elementary school art teacher.

When he’s not wielding an axe or a sword, he’s armed with a paintbrush. He said he got the artistic gene from his mom and feels a connection to her whenever he puts brush to canvas.

“I’ve been in art my whole life,” Thompson said. “Pretty much martial arts and arts go hand in hand. So whenever I’m doing a painting, for me, it’s almost like that creative release.”

He said there is a correlation and carry-over from the creativity in his artwork to the creativity in his sport of choice, medieval combat. Just like every brush stroke creates an image on a canvas, every slash and stab make up an armored fight.

“There are some people who probably just do it for the joy of being in armor and doing it like a hobby,” Thompson said. “Then there’s probably going to be like the gung-ho people who like to go to the competitions.”