City boys fight odds, make it to MMA world championship

They are among the four who will be representing India in the competition to be held in Macau this year. They will be competing with top fighters from 50 other countries. 

However, their first bout began when these fighters had to fight for their passion with the parents. “My parents were not very happy when I told them that I want to become an MMA fighter,” says 22-year-old Lenin who had done his engineering. “I did engineering from a reputed college in Chennai. Though I finished my course, I haven’t received my degree yet and it doesn’t bother me any more. While I was still in college, I realised my passion lay with MMA, once I started my training at Combat Kinetics. Since I was into sports from my school days, they were impressed and agreed to train me for free. There was no looking back since then. I started participating in competitions. I went on to become a trainer too and drew a decent salary. Now I earn more than my classmates who excelled in the engineering course,” says Lenin, who is the breadwinner of the family. 

His father is an ex government employee and left that job to run a provisional store. “We had to sell that to clear our debts. After they saw me doing well in my career, they are happy. Earlier I had to sneak out of the house to practice, but now my mother ensures that I follow a healthy diet,” says Lenin, excited about his first trip abroad.

However, for 21-year-old Syed Abdul Nazzeur it his third trip. He was in Prague for the first tournament, and in Bahrain for the second. “I feel good about this as a lot of practice has gone in for this tournament,” he says. Abdul has been boxing since he was in school. He represented Tamil Nadu in National boxing championships. However, a wrist injury forced him to discontinue boxing. “I was really lost and found my true calling when I joined MMA. Though I have won many competitions, my mother is still not happy with me doing this. She is worried that I will be seriously injured,” he says. Abdul is a political science student and also a trainer. 

Mixed Martial Arts has turned out to be one of the most popular combat sports in the world. Highly popular abroad, the sport is slowly gaining ground in India. “Winning this competition is important because we struggle with sponsorships. The ticket costs and other expenditures are way too much. Winning the competition will give the exposure that we need,” says Abdul.