Sangram Singh’s tryst with MMA set to begin
Sangram Singh is all set to embrace another bout in his life, and this time it’s Mixed martial arts (MMA). With this, he will become the second Indian after UFC fighter Puja Tomar to compete mixed martial arts fighter.
Talking about how he veered towards MMA, the 2015 Commonwealth heavyweight champion shares, “I was in Dubai once, and some Sheikhs and entrepreneurs told me to participate in MMA. It’s a tough sport, I saw ki laatmukka maar denge log, but my grip is strong. Ek baar koi neeche aa gaya toh apne tareeke se handle kar lunga!”
The 38-year-old also looks at his participation in MMA as a motivation for the youth to engage in sports. “When I would ask my nephews, ‘wrestling dekhi?’, they would reply ‘kaunsi wrestling, chachu pakaate ho’. So, I felt I should do something to make a difference. I like taking up challenges,” he adds and continues, “People have given me a lot of love for my wrestling, and I am sure it would continue in MMA too. The biggest viewership for wrestling in the world is in India. So, I am showing people that if I can do this at my age, then you can do it too.”
Singh also shares how he feels unhappy with the way sports — other than cricket — is treated in India. He feels that people need to give importance to other sportspersons as well. “Today, media covers professional wrestling like never before. A single medal can fetch a sportsperson crores of money. Dikkat hoti hai jab hum khelna chhod dete hain tab log itna importance nahi dete,” he shares and adds, “Cricket and film stars get attention, but focus should be on us as well. People recognise me today ‘arre Nach Baliye mein aaya hai’ (Singh was a former participant) and I am happy that they do. [Par] Sushil Kumar ne wrestling ko zinda kiya tha, aur main akhaade se five star mein le aaya.”