Have no plans to enter Mixed Martial Arts as fighter at present: Jiu-Jitsu medalist Siddharth Singh

New Delhi [India], September 13 : Indian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Siddharth Singh said on Tuesday that he does not plan to enter the world of Mixed Martial Arts as a player.
Brazillian Jiu Jitsu is a grappling combat sport that makes use of grappling, ground fighting, chokeholds and submission holds. Mixed Martial Arts is a full-contact combat sport that involves striking, grappling and ground fighting. It uses techniques from various combat sports like Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, taekwondo, wrestling, judo, catch wrestling and Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu.
Siddharth Singh recently won a bronze medal at Abu-Dhabi AJP Jiu-Jitsu Pro Championship. He also owns Crosstrain Fight Club, an MMA school in North Delhi, where he trains his students in mixed martial arts.
"I compete in 70 kg in Jiu Jitsu. There is no one in my category in my academy in Jiu-Jitsu. But there are 15 MMA fighters in my weight class. So do I teach them or train myself in MMA? If I teach them, they will be potential opponents in MMA. So I decided that I would work as a coach in MMA, and Muay Thai and prepare fighters and contest in Jiu Jitsu. My plan is to get a Jiu-Jitsu gold for India at World Championships. Currently, I have no plans to enter in MMA as a fighter. After that gold medal comes, we will see," said Siddharth in an exclusive interview with ANI.
Siddharth feels good about winning a bronze medal in the Abu-Dhabi AJP Jiu-Jitsu Pro Championship on September 4 and also recalled the harsh circumstances he had to undergo during his journey towards the medal.
"I feel good. It was fourth time I was competing in AJP. I actually had an aim of winning gold but was short of one point. I had to fight for the bronze medal and I won. I am disappointed because I wanted to win gold for the country," said Siddharth.
"In India, there is no training for Jiu-Jitsu specifically. Crosstrain Fight Club gives training for MMA. One does boxing, wrestling, Jiu Jitsu and boxing. I have to run the academy and do my training as well. During a training session three weeks before the tournament, I was trying to parry a kick attempted by my student and his foot hit my hand and I suffered injuries in two fingers."
"Grabbing and hands are important in Jiu Jitsu, in choke holds and submission holds. My main finger for this purpose was injured. I had to modify my training. I was training while holding a tennis ball. I used finger tapes to join the injured fingers. But it was a difficult phase, to go to the tournament without proper training. But I had to win a medal for India, so I had to do it."
On one of his students bagging a bronze medal in Jiu-Jitsu, Siddharth expressed happiness at her feat.
"Her name is Anwesha Deb. She is the first female grappler who could bring a medal in Jiu-Jitsu abroad. It is a big honour for me as a coach, competitor and teammate. To see an Indian girl on the podium and the Indian flag felt really nice. She had joined three years back and to see her win a medal at world level, it is a proud feeling," he added.
Talking about improvements in MMA infrastructure and equipment in India, Siddharth said that the sport has gained some popularity in the last three to four years.
"When I came to India a decade back, there was no MMA, though there was a good gym in Nashik. Some other gyms were coming up. I would not have started this otherwise. The situation was not very good till 2017. But in the last 3-4 years, the sport has been rising in India. Players are not winning on a national level, but international as well. Anshul Jubli is India's only UFC fighter, he is my student. When we started CFC a decade back, our goal was to give India a UFC fighter. Now that goal has been fulfilled. This whole experience has been exciting," he said.
Siddharth has also been a coach of India's Muay Thai team - a striking combat sport - for a few tournaments and feels that India has a lot of talent in this sport. "They have a bright future, they just need more exposure, infrastructure and opportunities," he added.
The fighter is a huge proponent of Jiu-Jitsu as a tool for self-defence for women and added that techniques taught in the sport can help women with that.
"A lot of people teach self-defence and tell women about poking in attacker's eyes, hitting in attacker's groin. But realistically, if a girl is small and attacker is taller, how can one reach his eyes? If she hits a kick, the attacker will fall but not die. If you find yourself in an inferior position in front of someone stronger, as a woman, the first priority should be to run. Hitting should be the last resort," he said.
"We teach techniques. If someone attacks you, he grabs you. We teach them how to break that grip and run. We do not teach self-offence. Our attacks can be used in women's self-defence. They can break someone's hands, render them unconscious, or break their shoulder. I am huge proponent that all women try Jiu-Jitsu," he added.
On balancing his life as a competitor and coach, he said it is extremely difficult to do so, since he is not only a player and coach but also the owner of his academy.
"I have to balance the business side of things as well. India had no infrastructure so we established it. There were no coaches, so I had to become one. There were no fighters lastly, had to become that as well. I really want to teach all my students the best techniques, but sometimes they do not pay the fees. That is where the business owner in me steps in," he said.
"I am an athlete and I have to look after my own training as well, though I want everyone to do better. When I focus on business, team's training gets affected. When I focus on my team, my own training gets affected. It is hard to maintain that balance but I am trying my best," he added.