I only saw part of the Apache vs Roman Gladiator. They had a world champion knife fighter who was apache and Lidell for one of the Gladiators. Both ahd their points. I didn't see the conclusion. I think it was more placed as a caged fight, so I think the gladitor was more in their element. I thought they passed over the best weapon the gladitor has, and that is his shield. If you notice, Romans, Zulus and Spartans all used shields. They are very effective in many situations. That is until firearms enter the equation. Then they along with 'ancient' armour become to heavy. A shield can also be used as a weapon to an extent.
Tom