MMA: Assam's Mridul Saikia eyes UFC contract in Shanghai

Hindustan Times

20-05-2025

New Delhi: Mridul Saikia doesn't believe in leaving things to chance in the octagon. The Assam-based mixed martial artist holds a clean 8-0-0 pro record with all his wins coming via finishes – three technical knockouts and five submissions. No split decisions, no close calls. No wonder that he has earned the nickname 'Crusher'.
Saikia now is preparing for the biggest opportunity of his career – he is set to represent India in the flyweight division at the fourth edition of Road to UFC, which begins in Shanghai on May 22. Road to UFC is a knockout tournament that provides a pathway for top MMA prospects from Asia to secure a UFC contract.
A strong showing could make him only the third active Indian to get a UFC contract.
Well known in the north east's MMA scene, Saikia has competed in domestic events like the Bidang Fighting Championship and Sangai MMA. His most recent win came in August at Matrix Fight Night 15, an Indian professional MMA promotion event that was held in Noida. In the final, Saikia won by making Himanshu Kaushik to submit with a guillotine choke (immobilising the opponent by holding the head under the arm and body with a leg hold).
His next bout will be a different test though. He'll face China's 19-year-old Agulali, who has a 12-1-0 record and is touted as one of the likely finalists.
While MMA is still developing as a sport in India, Saikia committed to it early — leaving school after the twelfth grade to train full-time. Based out of Dojang MMA Studio in Guwahati, he credits much of his progress to the steady guidance of his coach and 'backbone' Manas Daimary.
'I used to watch WWE a lot and loved Brock Lesnar (US pro wrestler),' Saikia told HT in an interview facilitated by Sony Sports. 'When I got to know about MMA, I started it for fun. Who doesn't love fighting after all?'
'I started my amateur career but my mom died and my situation got worse. When I felt I didn't have any other option, I quit studies and focused on MMA. I have been doing this since then.'
Before this tournament, Saikia was training at Dojang. He later went to the Phuket Grappling Academy, Thailand for advanced training to improve his ground skills. 'I improved a lot, met new fighters there and trained with them. During rolling, I learnt a lot. I was able to figure out what my mistakes were, where I can improve. I took all those learnings and continued it back at home,' said Saikia.
Saikia's father works in General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Assam.
Saikia was invested in the sport even when he saw no potential, but now that the sport is finding a footing in India – there is more representation in global promotions like UFC, ONE Championship, BRAVE, etc., along with its inclusion in the 2026 Asian Games – he is hopeful about MMA's future.
'MMA is growing very fast in India. You will see that there are good MMA gyms in every region. For example, in Uttarakhand there is Mutant academy, in Delhi there is Warriors' Cove. In the North East, there is Dojang, Bidang (Assam) and The Combat Academy (Manipur). So, it's picking up and the future looks good.
'It took some time for us because we started late, and from the bottom. But once we start walking (performing better), it's going to be great.'