So, Dominus is probably THE premiere armored combat team in the world right now. They tout a perfect record. And, they’ve done some great things around the world besides just win. But… WHO ARE THEY REALLY?
Dominus doesn’t care about tradition
The team was founded out of desperation. At one point in the USA you had two teams that were essentially the new blood and new wave of the sport. Warlords and Cerberus. They fought a few times, and they traded wins. But, before the fall of HMB and before Russia decided to ruin everything, Cerberus was invited to BUHURT PRIME. And, they didn’t have enough people to fill the roster. So, the Owner/Captain at the time (Daniel Krug) decided to give a couple of guys from the Warlord roster a call. Brett Skinner and Craig Ivey joined Cerberus. And, Cerberus Emissus became the first USA team in Armored Combat history to beat the Russian powerhouse Bear Paw. In fact, they were only the second team in the history of the sport to beat them outside of Russia (Ukranian’s did it in 2016).
So… Dominus sort of started
While in Serbia, Daniel Krug pitched the idea to form an alliance with Warlord Academy. Essentially, the agreement would be to band together with the top four from each organization in order to conquer European Buhurt and demonstrate the true capability of American fighters. But, like all great ideas, they change. Jake Taylor was invited to the team from Australia and so was Colin Campbell. Oddly, of the 9 founding members, 5 of them were on the original USA powerhouse team Iron Phoenix (Craig Ivey, Johny Porter, Matthew Creedican, Daniel Krug, Colin Campbell). The first official tournament of Dominus was at the Mercia Cup in 2022. The team went undefeated and the rumors began to swirl of what the new USA based team would be.
Then it changed even more
Dominus loosely formed a charter soon after coming together. The team itself morphed into two seperate, but united, groups under the Dominus colors. The founding members, and the additional members. Black belts and War Dogs respectively. In order to become a “Blackbelt” within the Dominus ranks, you need to be recognized not only for your fighting ability, but for your contribution to the sport. Dominus isn’t a team like other teams. It’s a true democracy. And, within that democracy there is a hierarchy of honor held as a standard within the group itself. All the War Dogs are seen as top level fighters within the sport of Buhurt/Armored Combat. Many of them are team captains of their own teams and others are seen as key players making big waves already.
But what seperates Dominus…
It isn’t the fighters individual skills, nor their individual contribution. It is their desire to be selfless inside the arena and outside the arena. If Dominus is going to win a tournament, everyone there will know exactly what their tactics are, exactly how they fight and exactly how they train. Nothing Dominus does is a secret. It is intentionally given to all to share, grow and improve. A Dominus Blackbelt puts the community of armored combat above their own personal desires and wants within the sport.
If you ask a Blackbelt about losing
They will say they want to lose a good fight instead of win an easy one. It is the goal of a true warrior to seek personal retribution through battle and the test of sport. This is the way of the Dominus Blackbelt.
What does Dominus want?
Well, it’s simple. Armored combat was fought in a stale and individual manner for years. In order for the sport to grow, improve and become a true testing ground for the war born heart, it must be challenged. The founders of Dominus came together out of a desire to travel and fight and do buhurt together. They stay together out of a desire to continue to do the same. The team itself is just a symbol. It’s more of an ideal than anything else.
We are not an all star team
There were teams in recent memory founded by league owners who referred to theirs as the best in the world. And, maybe they were. Maybe not. None of it really matters. Dominus is not rooted in favortism, pseudo nepotism or surrounded by sycophants. The members themselves are constantly testing each other and pushing the envelope of the sport. And, if you see the team show up at an event and the roster is crazy, it’s because Dominus is just like most of the other teams out there in the world. THEY NEED PEOPLE. For example, at Carnage 2024, Dominus was having trouble filling out a roster. At one point, we only had 4 people with less than two months before the tournament. So, we figured out a way to get some of our buddies over from England to do a Demo with us and stick around the following weekend to fight at Carnage. Along with that, Alex Das stepped up from the War Dogs group and joined the fold. It was literally just a few dudes trying to pull a team together to go fight at an event. Nothing more than that.
What have they done?
Well, since 2022 Dominus created an App called ARMORED COMBAT ACADEMY . They have put on and participated in countless training seminars. They have traveled the globe and fought in many tournaments. As of May 2023, they became the BUHURT LEAGUE WORLD CHAMPIONS. It was the final event of Buhurt League and the end of a Russian founded era. Here’s a list of some of the tournaments they have fought in.
- Mercia Cup 2022 – 1st Place
- Fresno 2022 – 1st Place
- Carolina Carnage 2023 – 1st Place
- Arnold Classic 2023 – 1st Place
- Prague World Championships 2023 – 1st Place
- Torneo Del Alpine 2023 – 1st Place
- Heritage Shield 2023 – 1st Place
- AMCF Nationals 2023 – 1st Place
- Carolina Carnage Tier One 2024 – 1st Place
While there are probably several more tournaments they have participated in, the point is made. In total, Dominus Armored Combat has lost 3 rounds, and never lost a full match. They lost two rounds in AMCF 2023 (Rebel Scum and Berzerkers) and one round at Carolina Carnage 2024 (Knyaz USA). And, Dominus hopes to lose more as time goes on. It only means the competition is getting better, fighters are growing and changing and the sport is becoming more challenging.
It is not about victory, merely the fight.