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Meet the man who left high-paying US job to pursue passion for MMA in India

For more than a decade, he worked as a project manager at Rolls Royce in Indianapolis

Vikram MN, an Indian mechanical engineer from the southern state of Karnataka, was successful in chasing the much-cherished American dream but later gave it up.

For more than a decade, he worked as a project manager at Rolls Royce in Indianapolis. However, in 2017, he quit his high-paying job and comfortable life to return home to follow his lifelong passion for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

Today, as the head coach of the Indian MMA team, he is at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) Youth World Championships in Abu Dhabi with 18 budding talents.

“I was born in Mysore, Karnataka state, and did my engineering. I taught in an engineering institution, but combat sport has always been my passion. I started training when I was 15 years old. My journey began with karate. I moved to Muay Thai. Then I took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And then MMA happened around 2011,” Vikram told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the championship at Mubadala Arena.

In the mid and late 90s, a young Vikram won several state and national competitions. However, sports took a back seat once he started working and later moved to the US. His decision to quit a lucrative job came as a surprise to his family.

“It was a well-paid job. So, leaving it seemed a crazy idea to everyone, but it was a well-measured decision. At a point in your life, your passion for what you want to do overtakes the desire for money and other comforts,” said Vikram, who started the Academy of Martial Science in Mysore with several franchises in other cities.

“I am happy to have made that choice to return to India. I am happy teaching youngsters and the next generation. This is priceless,” said Vikram, who has also trained in boxing, kickboxing, the Japanese martial art of Aiki Jutsu, and traditional Okinawan karate. He is a certified coach in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and Aikido. In 2017, he even returned to competitive sport and won a bronze at the IMMAF African Open Championships, where the 42-year-old was the oldest fighter to get placed.

“I’ve been in combat sports for more than 30 years. It was more of a passion for me.”

The current head coach of the Indian MMA team is also the MMA India’s technical commission chairman and IMMAF youth commission member from India, among other responsibilities.

Vikram pointed out that MMA India – the governing body for the sport in the country and recognised by IMMAF, has been working hard to develop the sport from the grassroots level.

“I was among the first few people in India to start with MMA. Slowly but surely, we are building MMA in the country. The MMA scene has changed by leaps and bounds in the past decade. We have an abundance of talent. We have a lot of qualified coaches. Children are getting into MMA because of the interest it evokes and the challenges it produces,” said Vikram, whose children are also into MMA.

Vikram has led the Indian MMA team in the past three years to international competitions and athletes have clinched several medals.

“We are looking for exposure with each championship. Attending such big tournaments makes a difference in terms of the skill and mindset of fighters. We get to learn new things. Many Indian athletes are vying for UFC contracts. At the last IMMAF championship here, we had around a team of 12 to 15 athletes, and this time is about 18 athletes, including four females.”