Two women fighters faced off at an MMA center in Anna Salai. People looked on as one fighter dodged a cross, closed the distance and brought her opponent to the ground with a a rear-naked choke.
Such moments are born of rigorous training — hours spent landing kicks and punches on bags and mitts. Among those training is 23-year-old Afshan Fathima, national champion and silver medalist at the 2024 World MMA Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
A BTech graduate, Afshan started her mixed martial arts (MMA) journey under coach Ajit Sigamani at Combat Kinetics four years ago. “I train for more than at six hours every day, split between strength, conditioning and techniques,” she said.
Though MMA has been around in Chennai for the past two deacdes, it was largely male-dominated.The recent entry of women into the sport marks a shift. “I have practice sessions with male co-trainees and this has taught me to become tough,” Afshan said. “It is not a dangerous sport if we are properly trained,” she added.
According to her coach, Ajit Sigamani, hundreds of women train casually in MMA, but only six – eight pursue it seriously in Chennai. “In my experience, a lot of young girls and women are keen to take up the sport seriously but many are stifled by their families,” he said.
Santosh T Arasu, president and chief coach of Chennai MMA, said schoolchildren, professionals and even actors have shown interest. For 15-year-old Tanvi Jain, the sport taught resilience. For 25-year-old web designer Pavithra, it improved health and confidence. For 25-year-old A Haripriya, a journalism graduate and a practising advocate, MMA was a life-changer.
Despite financial constraints and societal norms, Afshan remains optimistic. “Initially, my parents were a little reluctant, but now they are happy seeing my progress. Everyone should learn martial arts, whether they compete or not,” she said.
Ajit Sigamani said the govt could transform the landscape of MMA by recognising the sport.
