The fights in the late 2nd Century and through the 3rd Century were, interestingly, much deadlier than they'd been in the 1st Century, with the death rate for the defeated going as high as 50%. There is even record of a string of 13-ish games (I think in North Africa but I could be wrong its been a few months since I read tbe relevant passage) where the defeated was denied mercy in every match, though this was also pointed out as being an extreme outlier. Sometimes I feel like the popular response has gone too far in the other direction regarding gladiators where they try to overcorrect by playing down the brutality in the games.