The Indian Women that made history at IMMAF World Championships: Part 1 – Divya Nagaraj

THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED IMMAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS in Bahrain was a historic one for Indian MMA.

It was the first time that India sent female MMA fighters to compete at the event. Four female athletes represented the nation in Bahrain and in this series; we will try to shed some light into these fighters that broke the glass ceiling.

From Engineering to Mixed Martial Arts – Divya Nagaraj

A computer science engineer from Bangalore; the sentence brings a lot of images into our head. Someone who is all suited up, walking into a Multi-National company, working behind the desk to meet the project deadlines, among others.

That’s the stereotype. And breaking these stereotypes are fighters like Divya Nagaraj. The term ‘fighter’ is used both figuratively and literally here.

Growing up in Bangalore, Divya always wanted to explore a career in sports. From her school days itself, she was an active athlete. Later, when she stumbled upon combat sports, the curiosity levels spiked.

Unlike the majority of Indian parents out there, Divya’s parents were open when it came to letting their daughter chase her dreams.

Divya Nagaraj: My family is broad-minded. They have raised me not less than any boy. They have always been supporting and motivating.

Initially, the physical demands of the sport caused problems for her. The lack of female athletes in the sport was another major problem as it was hard for Divya to spar with boys in the gym. But within months, she managed to overcome the problem.

A huge boost for Divya was the presence of fellow Indian MMA fighter Shiva Raj. Shiva has been training with Divya from day one and he has been instrumental in molding Divya as a fighter.

The results were soon to be seen. Divya produced a string of impressive performances in the amateur circuit which in turn landed her the opportunity to compete in the IMMAF World Championship in Bahrain.

She was the nation’s lone representative in the Women’s Lightweight category. Though the journey ended early as she suffered a first-round defeat, Divya took back a lot from the appearance.

Divya Nagaraj: IMMAF World championship was my first international fight. I was super excited. It was really a proud and honored moment to represent the country. The experience was good; I have took back a lot of good things.

A four Stripe White Belt in BJJ, Divya has kept all other aspects of her life aside to concentrate on Mixed Martial Arts.

Divya Nagaraj: After the IMMAF world championship the immediate goals are to work on my areas of improvement. I am flying to Thailand for months for more experience, picking few fights with the help of my coach Shiva Raj

In the long run, Divya plans to turn professional and she is in a constant search of improvement now; Learning and picking up skills from wherever possible.

Tune in for the second part of the series where we feature Naipunya Sunil.