Inside Side Quest Sports, where medieval combat comes to life

Inside Side Quest Sports, where medieval combat comes to life Taylor Hummon, left, and Jaivon Harris signifier the combat athletics known arsenic buhurt astatine Side Quest Sports connected Septermber 16. Photo: Wade Vandervort Thu, Oct 8, 2026 (2 a.m.) Inside Battle Lab, a multi‑sport facility in Henderson, a group of warriors kneel in a padded kit while practicing buhurt at Side Quest Sports’ training arena. Their weapons are blunted, but their movements are anything but gentle. Fighters grunt as they maneuver across the mat, planting feet, shifting weight and searching for openings. An axe strikes a helmeted head, a sword lands on a side, bodies tumble, blades clash against shields and the din of the melee turns the space into a medieval theater of valor, sweat and the thud of bodies hitting the floor. Side Quest Sports opened in November 2025 as the home of the Las Vegas Death Dealers, a steel‑armored combat team founded in 2019 that practices the sport of buhurt. From left: Javion Harris, Triston Tinoco and Taylor Hummon Photo by: Wade Vandervort Meaning “to wallop” in French, buhurt centers on historically accurate team warfare and one‑on‑one duels. When fully suited, fighters carry 80 to 100 pounds of armor and equipment while wielding swords, axes and other weaponry. The team has displayed its strength, agility and valor each year at Vegas’ Age of Chivalry Renaissance festival since 2019. “We’re each conscionable a clump of nerds,” saysTriston Tinoco, laminitis of Side Quest and skipper of the Death Dealers. “I archer them each the clip we’re similar the jocks of Ren Fair.” Tinoco first became interested in armored combat after watching *Knight Fight*, a History Channel series that explored the origins of the sport, also known as medieval MMA. He then sought out a team and found the Death Dealers, which had only recently formed. The early days were scrappy. Fighters gathered at a park without armor and with little knowledge of what they were doing. They ran drills, hauled ladders and performed basic conditioning exercises. Tinoco remained with the group until it disbanded in 2021. “I wanted to commencement backmost up, but the squad didn’t exist. People conscionable left, and I was like, well, I request to commencement this up myself if I privation to fight. So, I started having guys travel successful my backyard. We started training,” helium says. Today, participants begin in soft kit, which allows them to drill for hours without the weight and restrictions of steel armor. Practice sessions can look playful until bodies collide. Real competition, however, carries greater ambitions. Tinoco hopes to see his fighters compete beyond Henderson. “The pinnacle of our athletics is to correspond Team USA and spell crossed seas and combat successful Europe successful Read the full story at Las Vegas Weekly →