CHENNAI: As he adjusted his boxing gloves and got into the ring, 20-year-old Chennai paiyyan Kaushik Saikumar had only victory on his mind. Having recently won a bronze at the World MMA Championship Junior held in Russia, he sits with us for a chat.
With a background in martial art forms like Kyokushin karate and Taekwondo, Kaushik was mesmerised by MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), when he saw it on television as a 15-year-old. “I was interested and wanted to pursue it then itself. But I was in class 10 and my parents were a little hesitant. They told me to finish class 12 and then take it up. So I waited,” he says. It’s been two years since he got into combat kinetics for training in MMA. He joined as a client first, and eventually found his true calling as a fighter, for which he began to train.
Besides blood, sweat, and toil, mental training also defines the journey to winning any championship. Kaushik’s was one such. “I just believed that we should always train to be fight-ready,” he says. Kaushik also went to Mumbai for a brief period and did cross fit training under Vicky of Evolution Academy. Talking about his victory, Kaushik says, “My parents are happy that I came back without any bruises, and everybody has been supportive.
As for me, winning a bronze isn’t a big deal,” he says. Kaushik’s plan includes training harder to to claim the championship. “Since the time of it’s inception, the Russians have been winning the championship. So unless I beat one of them, I wouldn’t consider it a big deal,” he says.
The championship was a great learning experience for Kaushik and has helped him understand his areas of improvement. “I know that I have my techniques and skills on point, but the experience and confidence that Russian and Chinese martial artists have is something different and it is evident in the ring,” he explains. Although he was quite hesitant in the first round of the quarter finals, he gained confidence and beat China. But, nervousness took the better of him, and he lost to Russia in the semi-finals.