The iconic win of Pooja Tomar as the first Indian Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) to win in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a celebrated American MMA platform has made Indian youth more attractive towards this growing sport in India.
MMA stands for mixed martial arts, this sport is a dynamic and exciting combination of boxing, jiu-jitsu, judo, wrestling, kick boxing. The sport is an absolute treat for people who are on a hunt for adrenaline rush and competitive sports.
Indian celebs like Tiger Shroff and his sister Krishna Shroff supports and are MMA enthusiasts, the duo even started an MMA event. The event is named ‘Matrix Fight Night’, this promotion company was launched in 2019 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The Shroffs also owns a chain of MMA gyms called MMA Matrix. In December 2018, Brave Combat Federation, the Middle East's biggest MMA promotion, made its India debut with the Brave 20 Fight Night, held in the city of Hyderabad.
MMA organizations like UFC, ONE Championship, and Super Fight League (SFL) are increasingly bringing attention to the sport in India by hosting events and creating opportunities for Indian fighters to compete at international levels. The first season of Super Fight League, promoted by British entrepreneur Bill Dosanjh and two-time world champion boxer Amir Khan, in 2017 drew 100 million viewers on Sony Pictures Network India's sports channel.
The MMA India Show, hosted and owned by Bollywood actor Praveen Dabas, has played a significant role in making MMA a popular show. The show is broadcasted over Sony Liv with over 25,000 subscribers over YouTube. The All India MMA Federation, the sport's top authority in the country, says the audience for mixed martial arts in India is predominantly citizens aged 18 to 35. "MMA is the fastest-growing sport in India, and indeed the world, and one of the few sports that offer a fully-fledged career," says Ajit Sigamani, India treasurer of the IMMAF-WMMAA, the sport's international governing body. "In India, viewership and interest is tremendous. Indians love a good fight."
MMA has emerged as the third most popular sport worldwide, following soccer and basketball, with more than 400 million people showing interest, as per Nielsen Sports DNA. India, with its vast population and expanding economy, has a deep-rooted history in combat sports. Despite a mixed record in global sports, India remains a strong contender in wrestling and boxing at the Olympic Games.
India in the last few years have seen a sparking rise in the participation in this sport. Bharat Kandare, Puja Tomar, Himanshu Kaushik, Ritu Phogat are some of the prominent names. India’s MMA scene is still in its early developmental stages, but there has been a noticeable rise in the number of events, competitions, and international tournaments taking place within the country. With growing interest from both domestic audiences and international MMA organizations like UFC and ONE Championship, India is becoming an important location for MMA promotion and competition in Asia.
