Northeast India has long been celebrated as the ‘powerhouse of Indian sports,’ with athletes from the region bringing immense recognition and pride to India through their achievements across national and international tournaments. From football icons like Bhaichung Bhutia and Jeje Lalpekhlua to boxing legend Mary Kom, the Northeast has produced a plethora of talented athletes who have excelled in various sports. Manipur’s Mirabai Chanu secured an Olympic silver medal in weightlifting, Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain won an Olympic bronze medal in boxing, and Tripura’s Dipa Karmakar made history as the first Indian female gymnast to compete in the Olympics.
Despite the dominance of cricket in India, many other sports often struggle for visibility and institutional support. However, this imbalance has created opportunities for sportspersons from the Northeast to carve out spaces in areas that receive less national attention. Through resilience, determination, regional sporting initiatives, and community support, they have navigated the limitations of mainstream sporting priorities and emerged as some of India’s most accomplished athletes.
Today, an emerging cohort of sports stars appears to be emerging from the region, not on football fields or boxing rings alone, but inside Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) cages. As MMA gains global popularity, fighters from the Northeast are carving out a significant presence in the sport, and raising an important question: Are MMA fighters becoming Northeast’s newest sporting export?
The story of Nazareth Lalthazuala Hmar offers a compelling illustration. The 25-year-old fighter from Aizawl recently made history by becoming the first Indian to secure a coveted US$100,000 contract with ONE Championship, one of the world’s leading MMA promotions. Before his breakthrough, Nazareth worked as a vegetable vendor, a reminder of the humble beginnings that characterize the similar journeys of many athletes from the Northeast.
The Mizoram State Mixed Martial Arts Association (MISMA) invested years in developing and promoting Nazareth before he achieved international recognition. Such grassroots assistance reflects a broader sporting culture in which communities actively participate in identifying, mentoring, and sustaining promising athletes. The recent visit of Joshua Van, the rising UFC flyweight contender of Myanmar Chin heritage with close ethnic and cultural ties to the Mizo community, has further ignited local enthusiasm for the sport.
Mizoram is not alone. Across Northeast India, a growing number of athletes are making their mark in professional MMA. Gyms like Bidang MMA and Fitness, and the Combat Academy among others, have been training fighters from the region and attracting prospective talents from across the country. Arunachal Pradesh’s Sonam Zomba has emerged as one of India’s most promising female fighters, competing successfully on international platforms and inspiring a new generation of women athletes.
The steady rise of MMA in the Northeast represents more than a shift in the social geography of the Indian athletic landscape. For many fighters, it has become a pathway to visibility, recognition, and social mobility in a country where both the region and the sport have often existed on the margins of mainstream attention. In this sense, Northeastern MMA athletes navigate a unique double challenge of competing in a sport that remains relatively niche in India while also coming from a region that has historically been underrepresented in national sporting narratives.
