Over the past few years, led by organisations such as the Singapore-based One Fighting Championship (One FC) and the U.S. based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), mixed martial arts (MMA) has become a truly global sport. Its ripples have extended to India as well, with the founding of the Super Fight League (SFL) in 2012.
In his documentary, “MMA India: Fighting for a Dream”, Von Saxena looks at “the scope and depth of the emerging MMA revolution in India, from its humble origins in small towns and villages across the country, to its meteoric and sudden rise as an urban phenomenon”.
Von, who has been following the sport for five years, has moved from finding it boring to becoming a big fan of it. In 2012, when SFL was announced, it provided him the opportunity to make a film on the subject. Having initially thought that “it would be a small film”, he now has an 85-minute long, in-depth look at the spread of MMA in India.
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Unlike the carefully choreographed, scripted action of pro-wrestling, MMA is a full-contact combat sport, fought standing and on the ground, where everything is real. With centres in the U.S., Japan and a few South American countries, it is widely reported to be the fastest growing sport in the world.
The film looks at the emergent MMA ecosystem in India, through its fighters, promoters and regulators. “It tries to explain MMA to an Indian audience and the Indian culture of contact sports to an international audience,” says Von, who has followed the journey of 20-odd characters into MMA.
In addition to those who have come from humble, rural backgrounds, after having dabbled in mud wrestling, the sport has also drawn its fighters from the more urbane backgrounds. The director gives the example of Jason Solomon, who was introduced to MMA while a student in the U.S., and now plies his trade in SFL.
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Wrestlers from varying backgrounds bring contrasting styles to a fight, and the film to tries to show the interplay between these, Von states. Some other people featured in the documentary are Alan Fernandes, one of the first Indian nationals to compete in MMA internationally, and Daniel Isaac, the current CEO of SFL and son of Grandmaster Solomon Isaac who founded the martial art known as Ishudo.
In India, MMA has captured the imagination of combat sport aficionados, and is poised to capture newer audiences, the director contends. Apart from interviews with fighters, the documentary also looks at MMA as a fitness fad in urban centres. “A lot of gyms now offer legitimate MMA training, through trainers who have been associated with the sport,” he says. In the wake of the new-found emphasis on women’s safety, MMA has also found application in self-defence training for women.
Another imperative for making the film, Von informs, came from the time he spent on internet fora dedicated to MMA, where a lot of ridicule is directed towards Asian fighters. “There’s this whole notion that Westerners have that Asian fighters are genetically weaker, not knowing that a lot of martial arts have their origins in India and Asia...I want people to respect that.”
(The film will be screened at India Habitat Centre on June 18, 7 p.m.)