A BRUTAL new trend is set to sweep Huddersfield.

Yorkshire's biggest ever cage fight will be held at the 1,500-seat Huddersfield Sports Centre.

Fighters clash in a 27ft-square cage using a mix of martial arts and boxing in a no-holds barred contest.

The controversial sport is already a craze in London.

But Kirklees Council deputy leader Clr John Smithson said the June 11 event would have to be investigated before going ahead.

He added: "I want to speak to colleagues and people who know more about this.

"We have to set an example to kids and if this is dangerous then I'm not at all keen about it being in Huddersfield.

"I will be looking at the situation."

The event has been authorised with approval from Kirklees Active Leisure, which manages council sports centres. The ways to win a bout are similar to boxing.

But Clr Smithson said the town hall could have the final say.

He added: "There will be something in the contract which states that if the activity isn't appropriate then it can be reviewed."

But promoter Aaron Chatfield said people's view of cage fighting was misguided.

He added: "In the past it has been a spectacle rather than a sport but we have gone through the mill and we have evolved into a true sport.

"We have weight categories, gloves and a definitive set of rules. As in boxing we have doctors at ringside. It's a professional sport."

Mr Chatfield, who has taken part in three bouts himself, said all the entrants were athletes who had trained extensively.

He added: "When you train for boxing you only need to concentrate on one skill, but with mixed martial arts (cage fighting) you have to master a number of them. Everyone taking part is incredibly fit and well-trained."

The former IT salesman added: "We have Ian Butlin from Huddersfield competing against Charles Bennett, who is very well-respected in the USA. There are going to be other fighters from the UK, US and Europe.

"Alongside the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the USA and Pride Fighting Championship in Japan, King of the Cage represents the top tier of world class mixed martial arts."