Indian MMA fighter Jojo Rajkumari says she has to sell pakoras to pay her rent

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is among the most popular sports in the world today, with global celebrities like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Amanda Nunes bringing the sport to the masses with their ever-growing popularity. The popularity of various MMA leagues like UFC, Bellator MMA, PFL, One Championship, and Cage Warriors has expanded the MMA fanbase, and statistics show that the sport is growing every day in terms of viewership around the world. However, Indian MMA fighters seemingly have to go through a lot in order to keep their fighting career intact, with Indian fighter Jojo Rajkumari's tale mirroring the struggle to make it big in the sport.

There are a number of rising MMA stars in India who are finding it difficult to make a living while also pursuing a career in MMA and Jojo Rajkumari from Manipur is one of them. MMA India revealed in an interview that Jojo Rajkumari has to sell pakoras in order to pay her rent.

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Indian MMA fighter Jojo Rajkumari sell Pakoras to pay off her house rent

While interacting with MMA India, Jojo Rajkumari shed light on her personal and professional career and explained how her parents did not want her to get into MMA. The Manipuri MMA fighter said that being a girl, her parents did not want her to fight since it could have damaged her face or her body. However, Jojo Rajkumari pursued kickboxing in 2007 and became a professional MMA fighter in 2018, boasting a professional win-loss record of 2-1.

While she may have picked up victories in two of her three fights, the Manipuri MMA fighter has found little solace amid her financial crisis. Jojo Rajkumari said in the interview that she does not come from a financially sound family and has to work in a part-time business to pay off her rent. Jojo told MMA India that she sells garments, woollen clothes, t-shirts, and also sells fish and pakoras to ease her financial crisis.

Jojo Rajkumari stats: 2-1

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Indian MMA on the rise

Since the inception of local leagues like Kumite and MFN, Indian MMA has seen a rise in popularity. Puja Tomar, Rajeender Meena, and Ritu Phogat are already making it big in One Championship, and One chief Chatri Sityodong has already claimed labelled India as a land of potential talents. 

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Image courtesy: MMA India YouTube