Fighting for a better life

They’ve given up stable jobs with regular pay cheques to pursue their dream — mixed martial arts. The members of team Combat Kinetics on why they keep at the sport against all odds.

May 25, 2015 06:15 pm | Updated 07:24 pm IST

PUNCH, SMASH, STRIKE Fighter Navya kicks the Thai Pad.

PUNCH, SMASH, STRIKE Fighter Navya kicks the Thai Pad.

Spend an hour with city-based mixed martial arts group Combat Kinetics, and you will regret not learning how to throw a proper punch. In the confines of their gym in Adyar, members circle each other warily, jabbing at each other and dodging blows. They deal out lightning fast kicks, throw opponents over their shoulders, and pull them into body locks.

The large and diverse world of martial arts has become a way of life for the members of the group; they are participating at the Central Asian Games at the end of the month. Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combat sport that uses striking and grappling techniques, incorporating not only wrestling and boxing, but also judo and karate.

“MMA goes beyond all boundaries,” explains Ajit Sigamani, the group’s founder and trainer. “That’s what draws people to it. The fighters in the club are individuals who would’ve become salesmen or engineers if they hadn’t found the right place to apply their skills.”

The team’s members have shrugged off traditional careers and degrees that guarantee a solid job and a financially-stable life. Fighters such as Syed Abdul ‘Abu’ Nazzeur, Karthik M. and Lenin Prakash come from lower middle-class backgrounds. “I got into MMA at a difficult time; my family was struggling in our business. My father had stopped supporting us,” says Abu.

“There were weeks when I could only afford two dosas a day, or my coach would buy me dinner. I gave whatever money I had to my family so they could feed themselves.” Lenin faced similar hurdles. “I used to sneak out of my house to come train,” he says. “I was supposed to be an electrical engineer; all my parents wanted for me was to get a good job. But MMA was my dream.” Karthik was raised by a single parent. “My mother makes just enough to support herself,” he explains. “The rest of my family is indifferent to my training; they don’t stop me, but I don’t have their support either.” Navya Rao, the team’s only female member, had to prove herself to her family for their support.

“They backed me to an extent but told me that I would have to support myself. I got to a point when I realised that what we were doing was not just about money, but much more.” Sudharshan Annadurai juggles fighting and a regular job to fund himself, a process he finds ‘exhausting’. He says, “My life is just snatches of trying to sleep, work, and getting here to train. I used to get into fights outside all the time, but now I’m fighting in a legitimate way.”

Doubling as coaches to teach new students and sponsors is easing the way from becoming amateurs to professionals, and with the Central Asian Games round the corner, nerves are high, but so is determination. “Our goal is to train as hard as we can and maybe, even fight at UFC one day,” says Lenin. “No matter what happens, all of us would rather live our lives with passion and do something great, win or lose.”

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