Bali (Indonesia), July 8 : In a country where Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting is still in its nascent stage, Nagpur's 21-year-old Raiwat Sagdeo has been quietly forging his path in the sport. Staunch determination helped him start his journey in the contact sport, even when his parents weren't convinced.

'I put in the work silently, and over time, my parents began to see how serious I was. Eventually, they supported me wholeheartedly,' says Sagdeo about the start of his career.

His family didn't have any connection to the sport. While his father worked in the private sector, his mother was a homemaker. Having spent his childhood in Pinjore, located on the Haryana-Himachal border, he got introduced to martial arts in school through taekwondo and karate classes, which were in extracurricular activities.

After finishing his fifth grade, the family moved to Chennai, where he developed a keen interest in karate. At the age of 12, his participation in a point-fighting karate competition, where he was disqualified for knocking out his opponent, made him realise that he was cut out for the world of full-contact combat sports.

Sagdeo's self-belief didn't wane even when he succumbed to an Iranian opponent in his first international fight on his amateur MMA debut. Nor was he shaken when he tore his meniscus, MCL, and ACL. 'I was back in the gym in two days, just sat on the stool and practised punching. Three months later, I competed in a grappling tournament and fought an MMA fight a month after that,' he recalls.

His most recent victories were at CFN 34, where he faced a strong US opponent and came out on top, and at the Bali Open grappling tournament, where he finished first.

Currently, he's training at Bali MMA under Aleksei Zhiganov, who's renowned for helping both professional and amateur fighters hone their skills.

The Bruce Lee and Conor McGregor fan draws his inspiration from the top fighters in the sport as he looks forward to turning pro this year, following an amateur record of 4-2-0.

'The circle of fighters I train with is strong and full of like-minded individuals, all pushing for greatness. I know that with the right guidance and consistent hard work, there's no limit to what we can achieve. The journey is just beginning. I'm not chasing fame; I'm chasing greatness,' he concluded.

/IANS