Pillow fighting moves out of bedroom, now a professional combat sport

Pillow fighting, which has long remained a sleepover favourite, is now a professional sport.

The Pillow Fight Championships (PFC) took place in Florida on January 29, 2022, where 16 men and eight women competed for the two highest titles.

The men's side saw Hauley Tilman, a martial artist, defeat two ex-UFC fighters Markus "Maluko" Perez and Marcus Brimage, to claim one of the two $5000 prizes.

The women's side saw UFC strawweight Istela Nunes become the PFC's first-ever female champion.

Both sides involved heated battles minus all the gore, which is the main attraction of this sport.

"The fighters don't like to get hurt, and there's a lot of people who don't want to see the blood. They want to see good competition; they just don't want to see the violence.

"Think about how they mixed country music with rap music and brought these diverse audiences together. That's what we're doing, and we hope it brings in a different kind of viewer," explained Steve Williams, the CEO of the Pillow Fight Championships, on the official FightPFC website.

The sport, which now has some of the toughest fighters from other martial art disciplines, is growing steadily, not just in America but also in other parts of the world, like Japan, where it is a national-level championship. In an age of gory sports, pillow fighting adopts a non-violent approach while still incorporating entertainment value and fun. The gradual acceptance of this unique sport played with specialised pillows follows suit.

• Americas