Joplin Brotherhood, an amateur-fighting league formed by Missouri Southern students, represents Joplin’s contribution to male bravado. Most of the time, these Joplin boys are the ones giving the beatings.

“Pain is something you have to accept,” said Craig Gilmore, freshman undeclared major and co-manager of the Brotherhood. “Not anyone can do it. You have to have immense amounts of heart, skill, and bravery. I can honestly say we are some of the toughest guys I’ve ever met.”

Amateur leagues have proven themselves as highly organized teams with a swelling fan base.

“You’re going to have the octagon and ring girls just like you see on TV,” said Sam Litteken, sophomore business management major and also co-manager of the Brotherhood. “But if you pull back the cameras, you’ll see a smaller venue with a much rowdier crowd.”

This crowd fuels a sport that, according to Gilmore, demands more from the participants than football.

“It’s an extremely dangerous sport,” Gilmore said. “You can do almost anything. It’s basically a fair street fight. Lots of blood. Lots of injuries.

“In my last fight, the guy didn’t remember who he was.”

Gilmore has distinguished himself as one of the best fighters in the Midwest for his weight class.

“I was close to going pro but got offered some title fights, so I took those so that I’ll be ready when I go pro,” Gilmore said. “My last fight dropped, because he said I was too tough, so after December I’m going pro just to get more fights.”

Gilmore is the leading fighter and trainer for the Brotherhood. He holds the Arkansas Elite Cage War Championship Title, and in December he will fight for the World Class Cage Fights and Elite Cage Fights titles.

Other than Gilmore, the Brotherhood consists of five fighters and five trainees. Each of them rests a month or two between matches, depending on his personal healing and training capabilities – and these guys train hard.

The Brotherhood forbids tobacco or alcohol of any kind, and expects everyone to come to four or five practices per week. Each practice lasts at least two and a half hours, and although they use modern training equipment, the Brotherhood employs the use of logs and heat to toughen their bodies up as much as possible. Because of their intense training methods, the Brotherhood has earned the respect of the fighting community.

“We have skyrocketed in the fighting business,” Gilmore said. “People call us now for information and opinions on their fights.”

In the future, Gilmore hopes to transform the Brotherhood into the top team in the UFC and eventually open his own gym to train hundreds of fighters year-round.

To see these guys in action, spectators may attend their next fight Oct. 20 at Break Time in Lebanon, Mo.