A fight promoter claims he has lost £10,000 after the plug was pulled on his controversial cage fighting contest.

British and European Ultimate Combat champion Sol Gilbert, 30, has already sold half of the 800 tickets, costing up to £60 each, for the Zero Tolerance Fight Night, which was to take place at Hove Town Hall next month.

He has also splashed out thousands of pounds on printing tickets and posters, booking hotel rooms for fighters and hiring caterers, dancers and rappers for the glitzy event.

But Brighton and Hove City Council has cancelled the booking after ruling it was inappropriate for the venue.

Mr Gilbert said he would be pursuing the council for compensation.

The Ultimate Fighting craze has swept America and this was to be the first contest staged in Sussex.

Combatants square up in a rope-mesh cage using a mix of martial arts, wrestling and boxing in a no-holds-barred contest.

The event was also to include hybrid kickboxing, which is similar to kickboxing except fighters can also hold their opponent's head and knee them to the body.

Mr Gilbert, 30, who runs ZT Fight Skool in Vine Street, Brighton, said he was appalled by the council's naivety in cancelling the event.

He said: "The council wants to promote Brighton and Hove as a city and it wants the glory of what comes with a city but it's still living in the dark ages like it's Tunbridge Wells.

"Ultimate Fighting is the fastest growing sport in the world and has been sanctioned by the British National Martial Arts Association, which has 250,000 members.

"It's not a couple of bouncers beating the hell out of each other.

"These are people using the four Olympic disciplines of wrestling, judo, tae kwon do and boxing all rolled into one.

"Fighters are in an octagon with a rope-mesh perimeter for their safety, not for rubbing each other's faces like a cheese grater.

"Boxers often fall 6ft out of rings and that's very dangerous."

Zero Tolerance was cancelled after Keith Taylor, leader of the Greens on Brighton and Hove City Council, heard about the event and called on the chief executive to investigate whether Hove Town Hall was an appropriate venue.

He said: "Violent events such as Ultimate Fighting contests staged as public entertainment should not appear in publicly-owned buildings.

"There is enough violence in everyday life without glorifying it in the name of fun or sport."

A council spokeswoman said Hove Town Hall took the booking in good faith but compensation would be negotiated with the hirers.

She said: "It was booked as a martial arts event and we often hire out the venue to local kickboxing and judo clubs.

"It was only in subsequent talks with the event organisers that we found out it was actually zero tolerance caged fighting.

"Although the competition is regulated, it was felt that it was not appropriate for Hove Town Hall and we have decided to cancel the booking."

She added: "A sports arena would probably be a more appropriate venue."

Mr Gilbert is currently looking for an alternative venue in Brighton.