Exclusive: GAMMA India President Jitendra Khare speaks about the challenges faced by MMA fighters in India and much more
The sport of MMA has taken over the world by storm. Once considered to be brutal and unwatchable, MMA has grown beyond means and is consumed by people from various nations. While Americans, Brazilians, and Russians dominate the sport, several other countries are giving it their best to become a superpower in MMA. One such country which is working hard towards building a future in this discipline is India. Over the last few years, several fighters and associations have been giving their best to grow MMA in the country. One such association is GAMMA India, led by Jitendra Khare. With a pan-India presence, GAMMA India looks to shape the future of Indian MMA by conducting a safe and fair environment for MMA in India. Recently, Varun Anand Bhat, Editor-in-Chief of The Sportz Planet, caught up with GAMMA India President Jitendra Khare. In a detailed chat, Khare spoke about the challenges faced by Indian MMA fighters, and how he and his association are dealing with such challenges. He also gave valuable tips to youngsters looking to pursue a career in this sport. You can find the detailed interview below: How did your journey with GAMMA INDIA begin, and how has it been until now? Jitendra Khare: GAMMA Worldwide was formed in 2019, and fortunately, I had the honor of interacting with the Global President, Mr Alexander Engelhart, and heard his plans for the future of amateur MMA. I kind of aligned with his vision and co-founded GAMMA INDIA with like-minded individuals in 2019. Post formation and registration of the body, we also participated in the first GAMMA World Championships that took place in Singapore, and India ranked 3rd in the overall medal tally in that particular event. That was the beginning of the journey for me and GAMMA INDIA under the leadership of GAMMA. What are some of the challenges MMA fighters face at a grassroots level? Jitendra Khare: I think the biggest challenge that fighters face globally is being able to make a living and also securing their future both financially and health wise. Any combat sports come with its own set of risks and injuries. Most fighters need to train full-time to be able to make it to the top. Currently, the state of the sport in the country is such that only a handful of the athletes are able to make a decent amount of living from competing and thus have to work as trainers and fitness coaches to make ends meet. Since the sport isn’t recognised by the government, there isn’t any job security that comes along with sports recognised otherwise. How is GAMMA INDIA facing these challenges? Jitendra Khare: We have plans to work towards achieving sports status and recognition for the sport in 2024. I feel that there is a lot of work required at entry level like schools and colleges to be able to reach a point where the sport could be linked with relevant government authorities and then we will be able to offer job security and other benefits, to our athletes, that are available within other combat sports in our country MMA is brutal sport. Tell us more about what is GAMMA India doing to ensure the safety of fighters. Jitendra Khare: As I have stated earlier any combat sports come with its own set of risks and injuries. Actually, I could even take it a step further and say that sports and injuries go hand in hand. But having said that we cannot simply brush off the risks involved in MMA. As GAMMA INDIA, we are privileged to learn and adapt the rule sets that are laid out by GAMMA. GAMMA is the world’s apex body in the sport of MMA and has created its rules and regulations keeping in mind not just the global safety concerns but also various cultural sensitivities. Their athlete-first approach fits perfectly with the values of GAMMA INDIA. Also, any event that is organized by us or receives our sanction is conducted with strict adherence to our safety protocols and we have been known to be unapologetic in ensuring compliance to the same. We have very strict pre and post-fight protocols that need to be strictly adhered to and only if the athletes meet the required standards do we let them step into the competition arena. We also hand out relevant medical suspensions to athletes we deem at risk of suffering any damages due to CTE. We at GAMMA INDIA have also understood that one of the most important steps in ensuring athletes’ safety is having properly trained officials and medical staff present and on hand at any event. We as an association do not compromise at all on the quality of officials or in training medical teams at our events. Refereeing and Judging in MMA has come under the scanner on multiple occasions. How does GAMMA India train its officials to do better? View this post on Instagram A post shared by LockerRoom India (@lockerroom_in) Jitendra Khare: Being in a position of decision-making is always difficult. Often someone is unhappy with the decisions you make being in that position. I think the same applies to referees and judges in MMA. In today’s day and age, everyone is an expert and is entitled to an opinion on social media, and that makes the job of officials in the sport that much more difficult. We at GAMMA INDIA take the role of an official very seriously. All our officials are thoroughly briefed before every event and we frequently conduct Official training workshops for the new aspirants and also refresher workshops for the experienced officials. These workshops are mandatory for all active GAMMA INDIA officials to attend to keep their licenses active and to be able to officiate at our events. Our Chief Official is not just an active referee and judge with GAMMA Worldwide but also frequently conducts training with the GAMMA Technical team at various international events. This helps us carry back the up-to-date knowledge
