MMA News: Laishram Surbala Devi talks about competing at the highest level, representing India and KOI Combat Academy (Exclusive)
At 22 years of age, Laishram Surbala Devi has a long road ahead of her, but she has already achieved a lot.
Widely recognized as one of the top female MMA fighters in India and Asia, she is a Double Gold Medalist in Strawweight and Open Weight. In 2019, she became the International All Women's Card Strawweight winner after defeating the current Champion.
Having accomplished all of this, her major place of training is none other than KOI Combat Academy -- a sports academy dedicated to helping improve India's standing in combat sports by supporting fighters who might not be able to support themselves. They are always on the lookout for potential sponsors to help them in their quest.
I had the chance to catch up with Surbala Devi and ask her a few questions.
We talked about whether she had faced any obstacles getting into MMA.
LS: "It's not really been an obstacle. My parents have been really supportive of me and my dream of becoming a World Champion. Thus, it never felt like an obstacle."
Her motivation in entering MMA is simple. She wants to represent India in the best way possible.
LS: "I have been following MMA for a while. I had seen other people become World Champion and felt that an Indian should be able to become the Champion. So that has been my motivation -- representing India and becoming a Champion in the World Stage."
Several members of KOI Combat Academy helped her, but Roshan Mainam and Coach Vishal Seiger are two names that stand out of the crowd.
LS: "Coach Vishal and Roshan helped me a lot. When I was in Manipur, I was practicing my standing offense. My ground-game was never there. They discovered me and brought me to Bangalore and made sure that I had a good combination of striking and ground game. They even made sure that I had a house to stay, I'm staying in Coach Mishra's house itself. My staying, my food, my health, they are taking care of all of it. As a result, from both the training aspect and the other support that they have provided, I was able to go to compete on platforms."
The academy itself has played a huge part in who she is as a fighter, making sure that she would overcome her weaknesses and work on making her an all-round fighter.
LS: "When I was staying in Manipur, she was training in a gym called KMMA, which is a very good gym. But in Manipur, there are very few teachers to handle specialized training. I had one win and one loss, and the loss had been a really bad one. That's when Roshan and Vishal brought me here. There were other Manipur fighters who also came over. They made sure that I had a balanced training. I went to an Asian Jiu-Jitsu competition and there I won two golds in different weight categories. This is why I did well in Asia in Jiu-Jitsu, although that is not my strength at all. Not only did I win gold in my category, I was also awarded best fighter as a female. So in this way, KOI Combat Academy has done a lot in my life."
Much like most MMA fighters, UFC played a role in Surbala's life as well. She talked about UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is her favorite fighter.
LS: "I was influenced by UFC. Right now, Khabib is my favorite MMA fighter. Ronda Rousey was earlier. So I have Ronda, Conor McGregor, and Khabib and these three people were the ones I grew up watching. I looked at Ronda Rousey and felt that she is a human being and a skilled fighter, so why can't I do the same?"
Currently, Surbala's goal is to dominate. However, in the future, she dreams of a time where she can help other fighters like herself.
LS: "My goal is to dominate my division, both in India and outside. Also, to win the World Championship. That is my goal currently. I am from a poor family and I know the struggle to practice this sport. In the future, I hope to help support future fighters from a similar background."
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