Pillow fighting: yes, it's professional combat sport – video

'There's just something so cathartic about getting hit in the head with a pillow,' says entrepreneur Steve Williams, who has created the Pillow Fight Championships (PFC), and even organised a pay-per-view event.

Described as 'hardcore swinging with specialised pillows', the PFC sees competitors - who include active MMA fighters, reality TV stars, bare-knuckle boxers, mechanics, single moms and veterinarians - win by hitting their opponent in the head the most across three 90-second rounds. Brazilian Istela Nunes and American Hauley Tillman were crowned the inaugural PFC champions last weekend.

'You don't really need to explain [pillow fighting] to people - that's the beauty,' says Williams. As he sees it, pillow fighting is not just a gimmick: 'There's hardcore aggression with pillow fighting, but nobody gets hurt. A lot of people don't want to see the blood and violence any more.'