Fell in Love With MMA After a Home Fight: Read Swati Badwal's Story

Swati Badwal started training in Dehradun's MMA Mutant Academy last November. Their head coach is Angad Bisht.

Source: Twitter

Coming from a small district of Uttarakhand's Chamoli, Swati Badwal got interested in mixed martial arts (MMA) when she had a fight at home. The 20-year-old then followed MMA specialist Angad Bisht on social media. She started training at Angad's training center in Dehradun but was cornered in the start. In 2020, she lost her father because of COVID and her mother wanted her to complete college and get a job. 

Her other family members also did not want her to take part in MMA because it is a contact sport. "My grandfather and uncle were worried when they learnt that MMA involves punching and kicking. They told me, ‘Nobody will marry you'. What if your face gets banged up?," she told Times of India.

However, Swati then brought her mother around and explained her the sport. Finally, her mother was convinced as she believed Swati can make a career in MMA. Currently pursuing BCom, Swati has a 11-year-old brother and 14-year-old support who love and support her. Swati started training in Dehradun last November.