Evolve' into a fab fighter!

Roshan Mainam Singh (22), a mixed martial artist, has made the country proud by becoming the newest member of the Evolve Fight Team.

Evolve Mixed Martial Arts is Asia’s premier championship brand for martial arts and is the brain child of Mr. Chatri Sityodtong, the founder of One Championship. Once every few years tryouts are held for the Evolve Fight team. 2018 saw about 700 fighters send their profiles to be short listed, 30 were shortlisted and six were to be selected based on their skill, tenacity, work ethic, conditioning and technique. Roshan was one among the six fighters and has been recruited by the Singapore MMA giant.

In a chat with Bengaluru Chronicle, Roshan and his coach Vishal Seigell share their success stories and the struggles they faced.

“Roshan started as a wrestler and an athlete who had great conditioning. There was a lot lacking in terms of skill and cross training. Initially, he was struggling with Brazilian Jiu jitsu and striking. As we progressed training and started competing, he realised that diversification was all that a MMA fight encompasses. The turning point in his training was when he started adopting the newer techniques and disciplines and saw how effective they made him in a fight. He has finished all his opponents in his amateur career and all three of his wins in his Pro career have also been finishes. Within a short five years he has accomplished a lot. I’m proud of him,” begins Vishal, who has been interested in martial arts since the age of six and is the judge / referee from ABC (Association of Boxing Commissions USA) for MMA and Boxing.

 Hailing from Thoubal Manipur, Roshan draws inspiration from Mary Kom and his coach Vishal. He had to drop out of college due to his financial condition and has big dreams for his family and himself. On his victory and what he plans further, Roshan says, “It feels great. I have accomplished certain things which have given me an opportunity to pave the path to my goals. I am living my dream and am very very happy being a part of and training at EvolveMMA. Right now I train 6 times a week and twice a day. This covers Wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ, Agility, strength and conditioning. My sister is in school and parents retired.  I want to give my father the best medical care possible and a secure future for my parents and siblings. I also want to start a team of fighters who come from poor back grounds but have maturity and skill,” he says.

Letting us in on the challenges he faced, Vishal says, “Coaching has always been great. Cultivating these athletes takes a lot of team-work and time. Challenges are typically to scout them and make training available to them at a different pace and get them in good habits in terms of diet, training and staying injury free.

The overall knowledge base about MMA in Inida, is limited or sometimes misdirected. Coaching the fighters involves some skill learning and some unlearning to be more mouldable as fighters. I had gone through this journey in great details with Roshan, before he was recruited. He came from a wrestling background so that was good but the Brazilian Jiu jitsu was an essential skill he needed to acquire along with striking.”