#TFGinterview: Glory amidst Loan Debts - The story of Indian MMA fighter Vishnu Drona

KERALA HAS PRODUCED some notable MMA fighters over the years. Syam Prasad made a huge impact at the Super Fight League when he won the Welterweight Championship. Whereas, names like Ranjith Kunnumal also made waves.

Abdul Muneer is another name that comes up to the mix. The success and attention that Muneer garnered over his career are still unmatched by his counterparts from the state.

The latest fighter to follow the footsteps of these established names is Vishnu.

Primarily a striker, Vishnu is currently undefeated in MMA (3-0). Furthermore, his resume boasts an impressive win at the India vs. Bahrain Amateur fight night. He had defeated Yousif Adel of Bahrain on enemy turf at the event.

His record and a long list of achievements is something that the whole nation could celebrate. But every win that he captured had a story of sweat, blood and struggle behind it.

Early Days and Struggle

Inspired by a South Indian film, Vishnu took up Karate at the age of 13. Balancing his school life and love for martial arts proved to be a major headache. On top of that, the need to travel long distances to get his training made things worse.

He started his training under Renjith Valyanad in 2006 and moved to boxing three years later under an instructor named Sajan. His combat sports game was then molded by the likes of Samuel, Ranjith Kunnumal, Syam Prasad and of course, Abdul Muneer.

After completing his 12th, Vishnu took up random jobs to meet his expenses. He did not want to take up a full-time job as it would've hindered his training, which he didn't want to give up.

He served as a money collection agent initially. But soon, the society saw him in a different eye which made him explore other opportunities. He served as an auto rickshaw driver and then drove cars later. While these jobs helped him to meet the daily needs, it failed to help him with the nutrition and travel that he wanted for his fights.

Loan Debts and Glory

The Struggle that he went through did not drag Vishnu backward. Determined to make a mark, Vishnu took personal loans to participate in International Tournaments. Till date, Vishnu has taken loans of nearly 2 Lakh Rupees which he still hasn’t cleared. Amidst the load debts, he went on to win numerous accolades and represented the nation.

A New Hope

Though Vishnu had options to train outside Kerala, financial constraints kept him grounded. But Vishnu found a new ray of hope when he opened a small gym in Calicut where he trains the next generation of fighters.

The money needed to rent out the gym space was shared by Vishnu and few of his friends that trained with him. It doesn't give the group of friends any profit. But Vishnu is happy that he is able to give a platform for the younger generation that wants to take up combat sports.

The Next Step:

The lack of sponsors has restricted the 26-year-old from taking up numerous international competitions. Currently, he is on the run to make the ends meet for an upcoming tournament in Manchester which happens in October. Money, still a villain in his story, is the major constraint as always.

The Calicut-based fighter, however, has not kept any limits to his dreams. One of his biggest goals is to update his skills at Tiger Muay-Thai camp in Thailand. He also wants to train under Abdul Muneer again in Bangalore but the lack of major sponsors remains as the major hurdle for all these.

Vishnu, who hails from Calicut, Kerala is a four-time National Muay-Thai Champion, Multiple time Silver medalist at the World Mac Games. He has won numerous international level competitions as well. The story was made with the help of an exclusive interview that Vishnu had with TFG MMA’s Renjith Ravindran.

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