MAINSTREAM Chinese media has revealed the existence of a “fight club” which has been gaining popularity and is attracting all manner of people who want to blow off a little steam after work.

The once hushed underground establishment named “Monster Fight Club” welcomes participants of all ages and physiques, with the winner of every bout taking home a $100 cash prize. All contestants remain anonymous.

Attracted by a rumoured grand prize of $10,000 a small number of semi-professional fighters have reportedly also begun showing their faces in the ring, which is inside a darkened bar in the city of Chengdu, capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan Province.

The dimly-lit establishment with a five-metre-high ceiling places fighters inside a 10-square-metre cage, where they battle with few rules and regulations until one party calls halt.

According to reports, only 20 per cent of participants claim to be professional fighters, with the rest comprising gym enthusiasts, those working in personal security, and even average white-collar workers.

The fight club manages to match contestants of similar stature and ability together to make the match more of a spectacle, which is watched by other customers in the bar from an elevated observation deck that surrounds the cage.

It is unclear whether such an establishment is legal under the country’s betting laws but for the moment at least it is being allowed to carry on.