A martial arts phenomenon involving contestants with a rather different combat experience has been known for years. Participants can include combat sports professionals as well as social media stars or influencers who have absolutely no experience in fighting. Despite obvious differences, all the contestants pursue one and the same goal, namely, to provide entertainment for the event audience and broadcast viewers as well as to propel the general interest and increase their own popularity.

In recent years, organizations promoting this type of combat and arranging respective contests flourished in Lithuania. Although the competitors pitted against one another are not only from social media cohorts and usually involve well-known representatives of combat sports, professional athletes vehemently rebuke such events and argue that they form a false combat sports conception, induce disrespect to fighters, and ultimately pose a risk to health.

Young Lithuanians are also critical of such organizations and their activity and generally when speaking about the so-called star fights, cite the name of one particular company.

"Yes, I have seen such contests. Once I had a chance to watch a live broadcast online. As far as I could understand some of the participants were professional fighters, but some of the opponents were social media celebrities. The show provoked heated discussions among my friends. I don’t even know how to describe the feelings that surged seeing all that. It‘s just appalling and very cruel," said one respondent.

"I’m not a fighting sports expert but for some of my friends, this branch of sport has played or still plays a huge and important role," continued the woman explaining why her opinion is mostly negative, "I’m perfectly well aware of how much willpower and effort is invested to reach desirable results. Whenever I see those combat shows or some of them at least, I’ve got the impression that everything is presented as a kind of fun. The contests clearly resemble ferocious attempts to make extreme dramas, to increase the number of views, and to lure followers on social media. To cut a long story short, it is a vanity fair that threatens health and life."

The woman’s viewpoint is shared by another respondent.

"In the beginning, when wrestlers were only influencers, it was quite fascinating to watch how they "sorted out the problems" that they had online. However, lately, the organizers started inviting all kinds of random people. Anyone now can pretend to be a wrestler, which has turned these matches into a parody of professional sports," he said.

As mentioned earlier on Delfi, some viewers of the Delfi TV talk show "Uncomfortable Questions" had doubts about the professional level of the fights organized by the Jungle King, the organization. In response to the criticism, Dominykas Dirkstys, the leader of the organization, gave his explanation.

"First of all, the fights are conducted under specific rules. Secondly, we provide a kind of combination that includes professional fights and influencer bouts. Thirdly, by watching influencer fights, viewers can see that apart from talks online there can be an action," said Dirkstys adding that he participates in professional fights.

He believes that the fierce remarks are not based on a comprehensive understanding of the situation.

As noted by those critical of such events, the fights organized by the Jungle King not only promote a misguided perception of combat sports philosophy but also pose a threat to the psychological well-being of young individuals.

"Initially, when these events were a novelty in Lithuania, they were popular among people of all ages, but in the meantime, they are mostly watched by youngsters who linger on social media platforms such as TikTalk and Instagram. I find it hard to believe that these types of shows would be appealing to decent and serious people. Additionally, I am concerned about the mindset that these fights promote and the potential negative impact that watching them can have on the viewers‘ psychological well-being," said the young woman adding that this is an issue that needs to be discussed.

"I think that this sort of business will endure for quite a time, as there are plenty of people who consider it to be a kind of entertainment worth paying for. Of course, it is their choice that needs to be respected. However, I’m convinced that it is important to speak to teenagers and young adults. They need to be aware that not everything they see online is good and beneficial and that some of the content can cause irreparable damage to their mental health. Even an adult may struggle to distinguish between the real and staged violence in those fights, let alone children or teenagers. I strongly doubt their ability to see the difference between combat sports and violence," she said.

"Adolescents who see it all may think that it is normal, which potentially leads to street violence," agreed the young man.

According to one more respondent, there is a reason why the fighting events became a good source of income for their organizers.

"I am not interested in such kind of entertainment and haven’t watched a single show because for me it is absurd. However, I do believe that the organizers managed to find an easy way to earn money as people tend to enjoy shows that make them laugh. Of course, I‘m very much concerned about the children because for them the fighting culture can become a paragon which leads to degradation," she said.

It is important to remember that any information that could be found online must be assessed with a grain of salt. Besides, people should keep in mind that some content published on social media could harm their psychological health and emotional well-being.