From October 20–24, the European Combat Sports Festival 2026 will take place at Unibet Arena in Tallinn, with one of its main events being The Clash 5 on October 24. Having been held four times in Pärnu so far, the combat sports event is moving to the capital this year in a larger format, bringing together competitions, an educational program, and the combat sports community.
Karl Loonurm, one of the main organizers of The Clash, says that moving to Tallinn has been a natural next step following the experience gained in Pärnu. “All four previous events have been huge learning experiences for us. Each time, we’ve always listened to others’ suggestions and made improvements to keep making the event bigger,” says Loonurm.
"Each time, we’ve always listened to others’ suggestions and made improvements to make the event even bigger."
— Karl Loonurm, chief organizer
European Union funding made it possible to organize a large-scale festival
The opportunity to organize the five-day festival arose thanks to a project put together by team member Siim Udrase, which received funding from the European Union. “This gave us a great opportunity to bring the festival to Tallinn and do it on a very, very large scale,” says Loonurm.
The festival’s program isn’t limited to just the fight night. The organizers’ goal is to offer athletes the chance to both compete and educate themselves. “One part of the festival involves various training sessions and seminars so that athletes can educate themselves and learn how to build their own brand and much more,” explains Loonurm. “The other part is the competition, which features amateur matches where athletes can truly test themselves in order to reach the professional level in the future.”
The organizers’ goal is to offer athletes the opportunity to both compete and educate themselves.
The Clash 5 brings together athletes of various skill levels
The Clash 5 continues the tradition of fight nights established in Pärnu, but with a larger venue and a production that reaches a wider audience. Mihkel Mihkelson is helping to pair up the competitors, collaborating with Estonian combat sports clubs for this purpose.
According to Loonurme, there’s no reason to doubt that the team, which got its start in Pärnu, can pull off such a major undertaking in Tallinn. “When we set out to do something, we see it through—and we see it through to the very end. We’ve shown in Pärnu that we do things well, and we’ll definitely do the same in Tallinn.”
The goal is to develop combat sports throughout Estonia
Loonurm emphasizes that the festival’s most important goal is to contribute to the development of combat sports throughout Estonia and to attract new participants to the sport. “Our goal is to work together to develop combat sports throughout Estonia and to show that they have a significant impact on both physical and mental health.”
- The Clash: European Combat Sports Festival 2026 will take place October 20–24 at Unibet Arena. The Clash 5 Main Event will be held on October 24.
- Co-funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.