Matrix Fight Night has quickly established itself as the biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotion in India and quite possibly one of the rising MMA promotions in Asia as well. While there are numerous MMA promotions in the country, no one has been able to provide the type of support to the athletes like Matrix Fight Night has. So far Matrix Fight Night has had nine fight cards and ever since its inception, the quality of the fights and fighters has increased simultaneously.
With Matrix Fight Night, the biggest beneficiaries have been the martial artists from the North Eastern region. Fighters from Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, and Assam have been given the opportunity to showcase their talent and emerge as superstars of the sport in India and their respective states.
In the last Matrix Fight Night (MFN 9) event which took place at the Siri Fort Stadium in New Delhi, fighters from Nagaland made their mark. At MFN 9, Imkongsunep Jamir, Avizo Lanamai, and Arsenba Ozukum impressed fans with their terrific performances. All three fighters hail from Nagaland and fight under head coach Khriemelie Metha of The Combat Academy.
Arsenba Ozukum fought Bishwamitra Mayanglambam and defeated him via unanimous decision. It was also his professional debut and he didn’t disappoint with the performance he put up and showed what all the hype behind him was about. After this, it was time for Imkonsunep Jamir to display his skills and he defeated Kapil Sharma via TKO in the second round. Next on the card was Avizo Lanamai, who was also making his professional debut as he took on Abhishek Negi and defeated him via unanimous decision. Avizo Lanamai has been has been called out by Assam’s Manish Mahanta.
With so many Naga fighters getting mainstream attention, the appetite for fans to see more athletes coming out of the state has also increased.
Here are three more athletes from Nagaland that deserve to fight at Matrix Fight Night.
Mairidin Newmai
Training out of TCA Nagaland, Mairidin Newmai is one of the rising MMA fighters from the state. Having competed in the competitions like GAMMA Nationals, X1 International. His most impressive victory in the MMA circuit came over Niana Mohammed at the GAMMA India MMA National Championship 2021 held in Bangalore. Naina Mohammed is on a terrific run in 2022 as he has two back to back Gold medas at the Nationals. Mairidin Newmai’s victory over Naina is looking more impressive as time passes by. Maidirin Newmai hasn’t made his professional debut yet, but with his teammates at TCA turning pro, it’s only a matter of time before we see Newmai amongst the pros aswell.
The MMA India Show had the opportuity to chat with Mairidin Newmai in 2020, where he talked about his plans of turning professional.
“That’s a big question and that’s something I have been talking about with my coaches as well. Me and my coaches want to take part in the IMMAF international tournament. I want to compete there internationally before I turn professional. I am currently 22 and hopefully, I will turn professional before 25.” He said in an interview.
(Read the full interview here)
Longtsukumba Ao
Longtsukumba Ao aka Longsa Tiger is another great fighter out of TCA Nagaland. He will also be the next fighter from the TCA team to turn professional next. He has been on an impressive run lately and has compiled a very impressive amateur record. He won a silver medal at the GAMMA Asian Championship last year and a Gold medal at the GAMMA World Championships earlier this year. He is also a 2017 AIMMAF Gold medalist.
Limasunep Imchen
Limasunep Imchen aka The Naga Zombie is one of the top prospects from Nagaland. He also trains out of TCA Nagaland and has an impressie amateur record. Limasunep Imchen won a Gold medal at the GAMMA Nationals last year in the bantamweight division. He also competed at the GAMMA World Championship this year.
Watch UFC Fight Night – Ortega Vs Rodriguez – LIVE on SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 11:30 pm IST on 16th July 2022
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