Have you ever thought that wrestling lacked a bit of, um, sock removal? Yeah? Well, then Saturday is your day.
A brand-new combat sport called SockOff is making its debut in Brighton on 22nd August, with its first-ever event taking over St Peter’s Square for six hours of competitive sock stealing.
And, yes, it is (now) a real sport. The rules are pleasingly simple, too: two competitors wrestle each other with one clear objective – get your opponent’s socks off before they get yours.
There are no punches, kicks, submissions, eye gouging, hair pulling or tugging – this is civilised sock removal, thank you very much. But that doesn’t mean competitors can’t put their grappling skills to work. Chin straps, half and quarter nelsons, ninja grips and tangled legs are all fair game – provided they’re being used to get at a sock. Submission grips can also be used to move an opponent, but they’re not allowed to choke, lock or force them to submit.
And there are even rules protecting the socks themselves. Competitors can’t adjust them during a match or between rounds and, if you touch a sock illegally, it’ll be removed for you. Speaking of the socks, you can’t launch a sport entirely devoted to sock removal without giving some thought to the socks themselves, so Brighton-born sock specialists Socktopus are, naturally, the official sock supplier.
Behind the idea is Ben Biltcliffe, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor who has recently quit his job at fintech company Revolut after three-and-a-half years to change direction. He’s clearly not easing himself into the career pivot either: he’s also trademarked Sock Off and the Sock Off Championship for sporting competitions and events.
And despite SockOff only now making its public debut, it isn’t an idea he dreamt up on the fly after a heavy night out. He’s apparently had it in his head since leaving university in 2021 – he believes stripping out the striking and submissions could make SockOff a much less intimidating way into combat sports for people who wouldn’t normally dream of trying one.
Saturday’s Battle of Brighton is the first chance to see what that actually looks like. But you won’t be watching a load of his mates see who can cling onto their ankle socks the longest, Biltcliffe has brought in experienced combat sports athletes from across Sussex. That means MMA fighters, Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists, freestyle wrestlers and judo practitioners will all be competing to become the first SockOff champion.
There’s a decent incentive for them to keep those socks firmly attached, too: the winner gets a place on a week-long wrestling camp in Tbilisi, Georgia.
But the competition is only part of Saturday’s free event, there will also be music spanning rock ’n’ roll and reggae to Sister Sledge and Scissor Sisters, plus a bar and Dirty Mac slinging mac and cheese and hot dogs.
Whether SockOff becomes the next Ultimate Fighting Championship or remains something you have to explain quite carefully and people still don’t believe it’s a thing remains to be seen. For now, though, there are socks to remove.
Saturday 22nd August; 1pm – 7pm (last entry 2pm; free; St Peter’s Square
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