Fighters bashed in 'criminal' training method

A gym in Brazil is being slammed after video emerged of prospective fighters, including women, being beaten to 'toughen them up'.

The footage, which is being circulated on Facebook and has already been shared almost 30,000 times, shows a long line of men and women waiting in turn to be bashed around the head.They're repeatedly hit by the same man who, whilst wearing boxes gloves, uses a full-blooded left and right hooks, uppercuts and even a spinning punch that connect with temples, eyes, ears, jaws and chins.One recipient of the abuse is seen almost falling unconscious and has to be held up.The fight gym, which is located in Sao Paulo, has defended the training technique, insisting it isn't unusual and that each of the prospective fighters volunteer to be hit."That kind of training is not innovative, it is done in parts of our team," he said."It is for the fighters that are on track to go into competition with about a month to fight."Never had a problem with injured students, or something like that. It was a high level of training, but for the outsider (it) can scare."And scare, and shock, it has.Viewers of the footage have condemned the training technique, describing it as both barbaric and archaic.Lightweight UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos has labelled the method 'criminal'.