Dreams of Training, of Reminiscing
We’re now in the last week of May 2020. The pandemic is still very much the core topic of most conversations. The pandemic and the economy. The economy isn’t exactly on fire either, which makes the combination a rather unpleasant one. Certain sporting events have grudgingly started competition and are now airing on some TV channels. The sport of mma is back with a new event format. Frequent covid19 testing for the athletes and no live crowds in the arena is the new norm and it will probably continue this way for the foreseeable future.
The UFC is leading the charge of course and they are the first major mma promotion to be back on television. They have clocked in three odd events with the new format and there are more events lined up over the next few weeks. The viewing experience was surprisingly good. I mean, I really missed the feel of a deafening, excited crowd but the fights themselves were excellent. The athletes were in great shape and in high spirits. The commentary team did a fantastic job, calling the fights. The UFC showed exactly why it’s the number one MMA promotion in the world and the final output was extremely professional and thoroughly enjoyable. The matchmaking has restarted, the trash talk, the story lines. A new interim champion has been crowned. The world of combat sports is beginning to get exciting again. It just seems that entertainment of any form is exactly what the doctor ordered in this current, stressful climate and for fight fans, this is an answer to all our prayers. The fight gods have been exceptionally kind to us and I’m cherishing every little bit of it. If I may speak for myself for a bit, running my own mma training centre, The Fight Hub in Gurgaon, being head coach and a reasonably rabid fight fan, I miss my world. I even miss the unpleasant parts like carido, them damn burpees, isometric holds. It seems I even miss taking some hard leg kicks…
We’re all in a place today where the simplest pleasures of life seem years away and having a tiny part of that returned to me in the form of live UFC events feels like the first sip of wine after crossing a proverbial dessert… I miss my team, I miss training, I miss sparring so so much, I really miss wearing my muay thai shorts, I miss the smell and sound of my gloves, I miss the casual banter and pre fight predictions with the energetic, animated lot of students at the hub… I wake every morning with a decent mix of angst because of the current situation but a feeling of hope and faith in a future, where the mma ecosystem is healthy and flourishing again. Where martial arts training centre’s world over are back to doing what they do best. Forging, molding, creating fighters, athletes, martial artists and most importantly… creating champions…