India beat UAE 8-3 in Mumbai MMA event

Mumbai: India beat the UAE 8-3 in the inaugural Kumite One League mixed martial arts (MMA) event held at the National Sports Club of India in Mumbai on Saturday.

The event was attended by Mike Tyson and Shaikh Tahnoun Bin Saeed Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, whose office organised the event along with Mohammad Ali Budhwani, chairman of Toyam Industries. India went 4-0 up with wins for Abhishek Raut, Kushal Vyas, Yadwinder Singh and Govind Ale. The UAE then pulled back with wins for Dmytro Batok, Haydar Hassan and Leandro da Silva to make it 4-3. Hardip Rai, Priyanka Toshi and Kantharaj Agasa then made it 7-3 before Mohammad Farhad rounded off the win for India.

In association with the All India Mixed Martial Arts Federation (AIMMAF), the K1 League will soon launch a global grassroots initiative to identify and professionalise talent. In its first season, emphasis will be placed on identifying talent throughout the UAE and India. In the next season, starting early 2019, eight countries will participate.