India's Kaushik Saikumar proud to represent his hometown in journey to UFC: 'People from Chennai can fight'

Undefeated prospect ready for step up in competition at Friday's CFFC 137 on UFC FIGHT PASS.

Very few Indian-born fighters currently compete at the highest level of the MMA landscape, but with more and more fighters from the region rising through the ranks of both developmental and high-level circuits, Kaushik Saikumar hopes to serve as a strong representative of his homeland in CFFC.

Saikumar – who hails from Chennai, India – is an undefeated prospect who now trains under Ryan Hall at the Fifty/50 Martial Arts Academy in Virginia. Saikumar left his home country in part to pursue a passion of martial arts that he developed in his home country, and he now hopes  to make a name for himself in the United States.

Saikumar recognized this move to be necessary, as he felt happy with his striking but knew American-based grappling would help him go further in his career. Making the move from India initially to support his now wife in her educational goals, as well, grappling wizard Hall's gym just so happened to be around the corner from his new home.

"I knew I needed to train around people with high-level knowledge," Saikumar said. "I was winning consistently in India, and I went to go train with some ONE fighters, where I got a taste of the highest level, and I knew I needed to make the move.

"It was always the plan after university in India to go out and give my all into learning from people who know what they're doing. I knew in India I had decent striking, and knew I needed to improve my grappling. I realized it was a big hole in my game. I reached out to Ryan Hall, and he said he would let me train to see if I'm a good fit. From there, I bought a one-way ticket to the U.S. I said, 'Let's go give this a shot.'"

With his immense commitment to his game, having moved continents just to improve at his craft, Saikumar's debut with the promotion at CFFC 133 proved to fans that he indeed deserves to be recognized as a rising force in the bantamweight circuit.

The first glimpse CFFC saw of this electric prospect was via first-round arm-triangle finish over Joel Winters.

"The Pride of Chennai" was calm and calculated in his debut on UFC FIGHT PASS, as well as in front of a rowdy Florida crowd. The finish brought fans to their feet, though despite the commitment and sacrifice he has made to his personal growth, Saikumar did not seem fazed by his debut under the bright lights, which he feels is due to his time fighting in his home country.

Though not thrown off by the importance of the moment, Saikumar recognized the experience at CFFC 133 was surely one he will never forget.

"It was really well organized," Saikumar said. "It felt as normal as any other win. It felt good to get a first-round win. The promotion, the ring, the venues are way bigger than in previous fights. It felt good to see what it feels like to step up and test myself and keep my composure no matter how big the stage is."

The proud Chennai native feels as though every walk to the cage is a representation of himself and the fighting spirit of his people. Saikumar makes his way to the ring to Chennai music and feels motivation to put on a show for his people every opportunity he gets to step inside the cage and perform.

"People from Chennai can fight," Saikumar said. "I don't like to put too much pressure on myself, but I like to represent myself as a fighter from Chennai. I want to be the best martial artist I can be. Hopefully as I progress through my career, people can get a taste of Chennai culture.

"In the cage, I definitely get the feeling that I'm representing my homeland. I love India. Everything about me and how I express myself and the things I have enjoyed in life have come from my hometown. I want people from India to look at me and go, 'Hey, he's a really good martial artist.'"

Saikumar (4-0 MMA, 1-0 CFFC) is now set to return to the cage on Friday at Philadelphia's 2300 Arena in a CFFC 137 bout that puts him against an explosive prospect in his own right in Adamo Abubakar (4-1 MMA, 0-0 CFFC) out of Kill Cliff FC. The contest streams live on UFC FIGHT PASS.

Saikumar, who is quite familiar with his opponent, respects that he presents danger inside the cage and can be a true threat. The test, however, only excites Saikumar, as this gives him a great opportunity to showcase his skills in the cage.

Saikumar recognizes that Abubakar is a big step up in competition for him, and he is ready to show to the world that he belongs in conversations to get that illustrious call to represent his country and showcase his skills on the biggest platform in the world, the UFC.

"I'm really excited for this fight," Saikumar said. "He's a really good opponent. I've watched all his fights. He plays to win. He's not reckless at all. I've also never fought anyone taller than me in my MMA career.

"This fight excites me because he's a big step up in competition, and I'm excited to solve that puzzle in the cage."