Co-founders Ayesha Shroff, Krishna Shroff divulge the story behind Matrix Fight Night
Sports Bulletin Report
New Delhi (India):-The Matrix Fight Night-12 will be held on July 1, 2023 at the Noida Indoor Stadium, Sector 21, New Delhi India, as since its inception in 2019, Matrix Fight Night (MFN) has established itself as the biggest Mixed-Martial Arts (MMA) promotion in India.
"In 2017, MFN truly became an idea. I had been following the sport of MMA for about 20 years and for one of the weekends, I took my mother along with me," Krishna recalled. "She sat there and experienced a live fight for the first time and was totally blown away. We got back and she was like, 'we have to do this because we could do so much better'. I immediately jumped on board. My brother fully backed the idea and we became a dream team," she further added.
Ayesha Shroff further recalled the moment when she witnessed her first live MMA fight. "Tiger had the opportunity to be a part of a MMA team. He was obligated to attend an event but he was caught up and asked me to go in his place. Watching the show, I was hooked for life. There was nothing more exciting than watching a live fight.”
For the Shroff family, the decision to go into the MMA route was a tough one, especially with cricket, football, and kabaddi seeing massive fan engagement in the country from sporting fans. To invest in a cricket or a football franchise or a league would have been a simpler path to follow. But the rebel streak in the mother-daughter duo kept them on the unexpected journey.
"MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world but in India it has been an uphill struggle. Even after 11 shows, I still get asked the difference between MMA and WWE. If I was doing cricket, I would have people signing me blank checks. Here, we have to work show-to-show to get ourselves sponsors," Ayesha Shroff said.
Krishna said:
"Dad (Jackie Shroff) also did not understand the sport at first and it took him a couple of years to truly grasp the technicality of the sport and the vision. Now he is completely on board and supports us 100 percent. He even wakes up every Sunday at 7 AM to watch all the UFC fights and has become a fan of the sport."
For the MFN co-founders, one of the critical reasons for starting MFN was to provide a platform for the Indian fighters who did not have ample opportunities to showcase their talent on a global scale. And now, as MFN enters its 12th edition, the MFN promoters are moving on with the same vision.
"It never was a vanity project for us. The intention was always to give the Indian fighters what they truly deserve. The intention continues after 11 editions of MFN. All our focus is to get them to the next level," Ayesha Shroff said.
"I have so much respect for these athletes. More than the physicality, it's their mental strength that really intrigues me. It is a blessing to be around these guys so up close and personal and feed off of that. It motivates me," Krishna added.
The 12th edition of MFN is set to take place on July 1st at the Noida Indoor Stadium, Sector 21, and promises another cracking show. "MMA is a mind game. I believe to be an MMA fighter, you need to have a little extra. It takes a very special kind of person to get into the cage and have the door locked behind you, face your opponent and get into a beautiful and technical fight," Ayesha Shroff signed off.
