“Flying Kicks”, “Hit”, “Knocked out”, “Elbow lock”……. The The commentator shouts loud. While cricket is India’s favorite sport, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has exploded in popularity in recent years. The Tonight’s Underground Fight Night, the X1 International Women’s Fight Night, and The Matrix Fight Night (organized by actor Tiger Shroff’s MMA-based training center, MMA Matrix) were all held in Mumbai this week, which is great news for MMA enthusiasts.
So, what distinguishes MMA from other sports that are attempting to establish a foothold in the country, such as the NBA or Formula One? For starters, there’s a surge of adrenaline. The battles are unexpected; for example, when Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor fought in the main event of UFC 194 in 2015, the fight lasted only 13 seconds until McGregor knocked out the Brazilian icon. Over the years, we’ve also seen some horrific knockouts, with combatants being sent to the hospital immediately afterward.
In India, which has a large variety of martial arts, mixed martial arts has just lately emerged in the twenty-first century. This can be explained by the lack of media coverage of MMA fights and the lack of effective marketing coverage. Mixed martial arts, on the other hand, have grown immensely popular in India as a result of the rise of the Internet and communications. Despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus epidemic, Indian competitors and their teams are looking forward to each next battle in the hopes of becoming heavyweight champions and holding the belt above their heads.
Why MMA Is Not Popular In India?
The warriors’ backstories are also fascinating. Some are former Olympians and professional players, while others have worked their way up from local leagues to the top. McGregor, for example, nearly missed his UFC debut because he needed to collect a welfare check.
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The former UFC lightweight champion is now renowned for his custom-made clothes (the pinstripes sometimes conflicting with his caustic vocabulary) and his own line of Irish whisky. Ronda Rousey, the most successful female mixed martial artist (who has subsequently gone to WWE), rose to Hollywood stardom in 2015. “India’s most popular mixed martial arts event is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).” According to Rajesh Kaul, Head Of Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India, “the sport has seen a significant rise in viewership over the last several years, with close to 100 million viewers in 2018.”
“Women make up 44% of the total viewing, which is practically gender-neutral.” Prior to MMA India – National Sports Federation’s accreditation, the All India Mixed Martial Arts Association (AIMMA) was the governing organization recognized by IMMAF, whereas WMMA recognized MMA India – National Sports Federation.
Mixed Martial Arts, however, is still an alien notion to the Indian populace. The sport is exceedingly obscure and attracts little public attention not only in India but throughout the world. As a result, when the sport was first introduced in India, it lacked the technical assistance and foundation needed to succeed. This did not, however, deter a few individuals from venturing into the unknown. Those who
took the risk have succeeded in establishing a framework around which MMA in India is loosely organized today.
The Indian MMA community has struggled to establish a solid framework for the sport since its start. The sport isn’t sanctioned. Neither has the Indian MMA community established a clear path for newcomers to the sport. You begin in the middle of nowhere and finish up in the middle of nowhere.
In India, mixed martial arts (MMA) is not a government-recognized sport. As a result, MMA fighters are not recognized as athletes and are not entitled to the same privileges and support from the Indian government as other athletes. MMA is not only not unlawful, but it is also not recognized. As a result of this lack of recognition, the sport lacks a recognized governing body. This implies that the Indian MMA community is not represented by a single commission before the government. The lack of a suitable entity has been a major element in the formation of Indian MMA’s present structure.
Nowadays Indians are growing interested in body-building, martial art, Gym and lot more of the related fields and fans are developing the MMA sport in a very positive aspect.
