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| History of MMA in India |
We have all seen Enter the Dragon , Bloodsport and scores of many other martial arts movies which have featured martial arts heros fighting in freestyle martial arts competitions held secretly underground and supported and funded by the mafia but have you ever imagined if this very same thing had to ever actually happen ? Imagine the best martial artists from every style competing in one ring or cage with almost no rules and the winner being crowned the undisputed true martial arts champion of the world.
Although this is the fantasy of every martial artist , no one in India has been ever successful in organising such an event because we are all worried about the outcome of the event especially the injuries and deaths which could occur from such an event.So as a result atleast in India the karatekas keep winning in their own arena , the taekwondo players keep collecting their asian games and Olympic medals , the judokas keep throwing everyone around in their own federation events while the boxers and wrestlers continue bragging that they can beat everyone in their own game.The bragging , challenging and talking is never going to stop until all the fighters from every fighting style is able to get into ONE ring and prove that his style is the best and can defeat every other fighting style.While Brazil Hong Kong and Japan have been organizing such underground fighting events for many years actual regularized and recognized freestyle fighting actually came into existence when such a show was organized in the US in the early nineties.Soon many such shows and events have now come into existence all over the world and now this style of fighting has now become the latest craze worldwide.In the first show in the US it was a fighter from brazil practicing a martial art style called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu who won the tournament and he was able to virtually choke out a boxer , kickboxer , judoka and wrestler to win the cash prize of 50,000 $ [Fifty thousand US dollars].Nowadays fighters choose to cross train in the various striking and grappling arts to prove themselves to be better fighters at such shows rather than just training in one particular style of martial art.Weight training as well as aerobic and plyometric exercises have been incorporated into their training to increase stamina and power.Nowadays fighters participating in such events have been able to become 100% professional and are able to make a decent living by regularly fighting at such events.In MMA there is no Sensei , Sifu or Guru , No Grandmaster or Grandstudent.Only a coach and fighter.This is the way it was supposed to be always in the martial arts.
Now let me give you another surprise … this kind of event has already happened in
India !!! In 2004 the first ever freestyle fighting event was held in Nasik Maharashtra and fighters from many different styles were present to prove that their style was the best.The event proved to be such a success that the event and fight promoter decided to hold this show every year.The show was called “Clash of the Champions” and is also known as the COTC event all over the world.On record this has been the FIRST EVER MMA event for IndiaSurprisingly enough the event has attracted many international fighters and now has become a full fledged Professional show with international fighters frequenting India to participate on the show.The new fusion style of fighting is called MMA or Mixed Martial Arts and there are now completely sanctioned international rules for this style of fighting.MMA has no belt system and fighters train in a combined system of striking [punches , kicks and knees] , takedowns , throws and locks , hold and chokes.In MMA events the coring system is very similar to kickboxing since the fighter is scored by three judges who will will rate the fighters out of a score of ten where the winner gets 10 and the loser will get either 9 , 8 or 7.Points are scored when a fighter is aggressive enough to use his techniques and is successful to strike , throw or submit his opponent.There are 4 basic ways to win in MMA events 1]Knockout the opponent with a punch , kick or knee 2] Submit an opponent by making him tap suggesting that he cannot continue 3]Chokeout your opponent so that he is rendered uncounsious or 4 ] Prove to be the better scorer by successfully making contact with you techniques , using good takedown and throwing skills and avoiding the opponents locking and choking skills by escapes.MMA events use special gloves which are very different to the regular boxing gloves and with MMA gloves a fighter is able to punch with ease and at the same time is able to apply chokes , hold and locks without a problem.Fighters are permitted to wear the uniform of their choice otherwise professional MMA fighters wear specially designed MMA shorts since wearing a gi or kimono usually turns out to be a handicap for the one wearing it.Both Amateur and Professional events and the organization responsible for these events is the SGAI [Striking Grapplers Association of India].Since this sport is new there is no provision for state and district bodies to be setup since the SGAI is interested to bring talent from event part of India to participate in these shows.However direct individual membership is available with the SGAI in India.For amateur events fighters are required to wear , MMA headguards , gum shields , MMA gloves , groin protectors , and kickboots , during professional bouts fighters do not wear headguards or kickboots.
In India the best and complete MMA training is available at the Tigers Gym located at Nasik in Maharashtra.COTC has successfully completed 3 International shows in India since 2004 and will continue to bring the best MMA action to fight fans all over India.Nowadays Star Sports has started telecasting World level MMA professional fights on TV and Im sure that this is a very positive move for the sport of MMA since the Indian martial artists can get an opportunity to watch the performances of the best MMA fighters in the world.Apart from this the SGAI also distributes MMA event and training videos for all MMA enthusiasts.Many MMA fighters from India have already become superstars after competing in the COTC arena , fighters like Shafiqur “Superkick” Rehman Shaikh , Samson “The Cobra” Joseph , Alan “The Bull” Fenandes and Vishal “Cyclone” Balkawde are already regular fighters at International MMA events.
MMA is also an excellent form of fitness exercise , Lay persons can train in a perfectly safe environment of the MMA gym and utilize these combined martial arts workouts coupled with weight and aerobic training to be an excellent physical condition.So for those of you not interested in the fighting or competition aspect of the sport , heres a super new way for you to train and keep fit.The grappling and kickboxing sparring workouts prepare a lay person for the reality of a streetfight and so he / she is never uncomfortable when he / she is taken down to the ground.Infact this MMA student is as dangerous on the ground as he / she would be while standing up.
So finally Martial Artists , Let us all stop bragging and talking about our own styles saying that our style is the best.Lets train our best fighters , join the SGAI and put our best fighters in the COTC ring to fight in one true mixed martial arts arena – the MMA ring.If you are a boxer , wrestler , kickboxer , karateka , judoka , kung fu fighter , ju jitsu player or taekwondo player and feel that you are “unbeatable” its time for you to compete in the MMA arena at the COTC show.Its time for us all to just shut up and talk the new martial arts language – MMA !!!
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