THE roughest, toughest and downright deadliest fighters in the North-East will take on some of Europe's hardest men on Saturday, in the biggest no-holds-barred tournament ever held in the UK.

The Battle of the Ages is a full contact, mixed martial arts tournament, where fighters punch, kick, and grapple to knock out their opponent or force a submission.

It will feature North Yorkshire paratroopers, wrestlers from Teesside and martial arts experts from County Durham, taking on some of the best fighters in Europe.

The event, taking place at the 1,200-capacity Eldon Leisure in Newcastle city centre, was organised by Ian 'The Machine' Freeman, of Leadgate, near Consett.

It aims to emulate the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the USA, which has become a worldwide success and where Mr Freeman was four times crowned champion.

He said: "I want to show that ultimate fighting is not as barbaric as some people think. It is a test of skill, mixed martial arts that has a code of conduct.

"In the past, basically it was anything goes, but now there are rules in place to prove who is the real ultimate fighter and safety is a paramount issue.

"Even with rules in place the fighting is still very much full on, with loads of action all the way and the fighters are highly skilled and are well prepared both physically and mentally.

"The excitement of an event like this will rock Newcastle to its very foundations."

Three fighters from his Leadgate gym will be testing their mettle - Graeme Hussey, of Darlington and Rob Owens and Billy Saul, of Consett.

Others getting in the ring include wrestlers Abdul Mohammed and Golam Muradi, of Middlesbrough, and paratrooper Sandy Geddes, of Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, taking on Steve Dowding, of Thornley.

Tickets for the event, priced £25, are on sale at Eldon Leisure box office, on (0191) 2325917, or from Mr Freeman on 07939 231521.