Forging Indian MMA Warriors: The Inspiring Story of Combat Academy Nagaland

THE SEEDS OF COMBAT are etched into the DNA of every culture from ancient years itself. Nagas are no different.  

For them, combat is second nature, a part of their rich culture which is still yet to be explored completely by the world. Lot of it draws from the traditional Naga Wrestling.

An indigenous sport, Naga Wrestling, is much more than just a show-off of physical skills. It was used by the tribes to settle disputes between individuals or groups. At the end of the day when a fight was over, the rivals inside the arena would be brothers, bonded by combat.  

It’s such a bond that led to the birth of Combat Academy Nagaland. A group of athletes came together and dreamt of forging generations of warriors from Nagaland, this is their story.

THE BIRTH

After being exposed to Krav Maga and Muay-Thai during his school days, Khriemelie Metha was eager to learn more about combat sports when he moved to Mumbai for college. Even though it took him a long train journey every weekend, he enrolled himself into Evolution MMA where he started his Mixed Martial Arts journey.

Khriemelie Metha: During one of my times back in Nagaland, I started working out with a few guys from home, largely Ketholetuo Nagi, who showed me some Naga wrestling moves and I, in turn, was teaching them how to box and grapple. I was amazed by their natural athleticism and surprised at how fast they were picking up the techniques. I spoke to my coaches back in Mumbai about the boys here and we held a Mixed Martial Arts seminar in Dimapur early in February 2014.

The response was overwhelming and the idea, conceived. In the same year, The Combat Academy – Nagaland was born.

Khriemelie Metha: The way I look at the team is just a bunch of friends coming together and doing something we love. We are all passionate about martial arts and are lucky to be able to do something we love every day with people we love doing them with.

CHILDHOOD AND THE CONNECTION

Through the three years of its existence, Combat Academy Nagaland has groomed some notable MMA fighters. Together the team has a combined record of 41-7 and numerous championships to their name. But this means much more than just numbers and belts for the fighters.

Khriemelie Metha: Theory is we were a people always under threat. Martial prowess is not only part of our culture, it’s in our genes be it combat or being strong-willed.  In a very small way through Mixed Martial Arts if we have piqued someone’s curiosity which leads to them Googling Nagaland and knowing a little more about our land and how diverse India can be, we win a small victory.

 If a small group of guys can get together and try doing something as ludicrous as making a living doing martial arts the impact we can have towards a young child wanting to do something they are so passionate about would be tremendous. There is no denying Nagaland isn’t a state with its share of problems but there’s a Cinderella story somewhere in here. Fail or succeed, do it with passion or not at all.

Thanks to the strong roots of Naga Wrestling, the connection was easier. Reflection of this was there to be seen on the recent shows that Yoddha Fighting Championship held in the state.

So far, YFC has visited Nagaland on four separate occasions. Every time, Nagaland has welcomed them with amazing enthusiasm.  

Khriemelie Metha: One of the biggest downers in MMA as a casual spectator is when the fights hit the grappling phase, a lot of boos follow. But with the Naga spectators I guess due to the influence and popularity of Naga indigenous wrestling, the ground phase is appreciated and cheered on by the people. In the MMA workshops that we conducted in a few schools, we were thrilled to find the kids enthralled and calling out armbars and triangles that we were showcasing. 

TEENAGE AND FUTURE

Growing up comes with its own share of problems. Complaining and whining could be an easy way to escape the realities. Facing it and conquering them is an entirely different story.

Khriemelie Metha: Everyone has their own set of problems and difficulties, we are no different and ours are not insurmountable. You won’t hear us whine and complain, as grand master Yoda said in a galaxy far far away, “Do. Or do not. There is no try”. Forget our roars, just watch us bite. The force is strong in us.

With the right mindset in place, the Naga boys have a clear-cut plan as well for achieving their dreams. The continuous goal is to improve every day even if it’s just 1 percent. Then there are yearly goals.

Khriemelie Metha : The first year of competition is garnering experience in the local circuit, fighting anyone and everyone just to get comfortable competing in a cage, working on one’s comfort zone and fighting in an ABC blueprint that caters to one’s skills.

The second year is beginning to fight competition that would force us to get better and experimenting a little in the cage i.e. for grapplers to try striking and strikers to force the grappling phase. The key is not to be the best boxer or the best wrestler or the best jiu jitsuka, it is to be good at everything and the best at transitioning and mixing it up.

The third year to train specifically for opponents, following a game plan during the fights and start vying for the YoddhaFC amateur belts after which we go international. Dropping down a weight class if possible, basically dipping one’s toes in the big wide sea of foreign competition and measuring ourselves against them.

The first crop of Combat Academy fighters has reached this stage. This set is now ready to venture into International waters and then turn professionals sometime later.

A fairy tale ending isn’t it? But this is where a vision comes to play. It’s not about developing just one generation of fighters; it’s about forging multiple generations of fighters.  

Khriemelie Metha: To produce one generation of good fighters is a fluke, you’re lucky to have had that one group of super talented guys that just performed exceptionally. The exclamation mark to a good team is continuously producing skilled, focused and happy fighters. Apart from fighting and winning continuously, being able to refine this blueprint of nursing and growing a hotbed of fighters would be our long-term goal. Iron sharpens Iron, to reach the highest levels our training must be top notch and hence our teammates must be the ones sharpening us.

As mentioned, Combat Academy – Nagaland is still in its Childhood. They do, however, have everything in the right place: the mind, the strength, the culture and most importantly, the spirit. The growth is continuous and throughout the journey, it could give birth to warriors whose names will be etched into the folklore of Indian MMA.

The following Slides introduce the fighters from Combat Academy Nagaland: