At the Asian Games, which began on September 19 in Japan, there’s a “new” sport that has been waiting in the wings for some time now to become a part of the Olympic movement: Mixed Martial Arts.
MMA has come a long way. It started as an “underground” sport, with fights fought illegally on the rooftops of Hong Kong and in basement parking lots in Tokyo, in the 1920s. Then came the speakeasy fight clubs in Bangkok and Rio, before
At the Asian Games, which began on September 19 in Japan, there’s a “new” sport that has been waiting in the wings for some time now to become a part of the Olympic movement: Mixed Martial Arts.
MMA has come a long way. It started as an “underground” sport, with fights fought illegally on the rooftops of Hong Kong and in basement parking lots in Tokyo, in the 1920s. Then came the speakeasy fight clubs in Bangkok and Rio, before it burst into the mainstream in the 1990s.
As a fighting method, its original goal was to adopt aspects of various martial arts to create the most effective, practical combat tactic for a street fight or other real-world unarmed combat situation. As a result, in the early decades, MMA fights were something of a free-for-all; the only things banned were biting and gouging of the eyes. This earned it derisive labels such as “human cockfight”.
The sport as it is played competitively today is more refined, bound by safety rules (no blows to sensitive areas such as groin and trachea; no kicking an opponent when they’re down; no throwing them out of the ring, etc). It is also a multi-billion-dollar industry worldwide, enjoying growing popularity among demographics ranging from fitness enthusiasts to armed forces.
Its inclusion in these Asian Games is a step towards an Olympic debut. If it does finally make it there, that will be quite a full-circle moment. In Ancient Greece, the fighting sport pankration combined the traditions of boxing and wrestling into something very much like MMA. It was a huge part of the ancient Olympics; there are indications it may have been one of the most popular events.
India is sending two MMA fighters to the Asian Games, but first a bit on the country’s pioneer, Ritu Phogat. She comes from a family of remarkable wrestlers. Her sisters Sangita Phogat and Babita Phogat have won at World and Asian championships and at the Commonwealth Games. Her cousin Vinesh Phogat has won multiple golds at the Asian and Commonwealth Games.
Ritu, a champion junior wrestler herself, shifted to mixed martial arts as a teenager and featured in major professional contests. Since the Asian Games are not open to professional fighters, she is not on the Indian squad. That team is made up of Suchika Tariyal Hooda and Varun Sanyal.
Hooda, 36, has spent more than two decades fighting. She began as a judoka, reaching the national level and peaking with a bronze medal fight at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She then switched to kurash, a Central Asian wrestling style that made its debut at the 2018 Asian Games, and represented India in the discipline at the 2023 Asiad. A skilled international competitor in jiu-jitsu too, Hooda is largely self-funded, appearing on reality shows such as MTV Roadies to support her fighting career.
Sanyal’s background, meanwhile, is unlike that of most Indian combat athletes. He has an MBA from a top university in London but, to the initial shock of his parents, chose to pursue a career in mixed martial arts instead of in business. The son of Sanjeev Sanyal, an economist and member of Economic Advisory Council to the prime minister, he won the national amateur title, the selection trials, and medalled at the Asian MMA Championship in January.
A good run at the Asiad may get these unknown fighters, and the sport of MMA, still very much in its infancy in India, some much-needed recognition. Here’s wishing them, and the rest of the contingent, a good Games.
(Email Rudraneil Sengupta on rudraneil@gmail.com. The views expressed are personal)
One Subscription.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
Archives
HT App & Website