Road to UFC Season 2: Who is Sumit Kumar, the Indian MMA fighter competing in Shanghai

Road to UFC: Sumit honed his MMA skills at the famed Team Alpha Male gym in Sacramento, California, under UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber.

Sumit Kumar of India poses on the scale during the Road to UFC weigh-in at Sheraton Four Points Hotel on May 26, 2023, in Shanghai, China. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Sumit Kumar is the third Indian, following Anshul Jubli and Pawan Maan Singh, to compete on the Road to the UFC. He, alongside his compatriot, Rana Rudra Pratap Singh, will fight for a UFC contract in the 32-men knockout tournament.

Hailing from Ajroi village in Sasni, Uttar Pradesh, Sumit started training in wrestling at the age of 12 and made his first trip to Thailand, searching for a job.

Sumit’s strong wrestling background earned him the opportunity to train at the Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs, USA in 2016 under former Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson.

Sumit honed his MMA skills at the famed Team Alpha Male gym in Sacramento, California, under UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber.

Sumit is undefeated in four Pro MMA fights, holding an overall streak of 7-0 in the circuit since his debut in 2020. The 22-year-old Sumit also possesses a Blue Belt in Jiu-Jitsu and is a national champion and Asian Silver medallist in grappling.

(L-R) Opponents Sumit Kumar of India and Seung Guk Choi of South Korea face off during the Road to UFC weigh-in at Sheraton Four Points Hotel on May 26, 2023. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Road to UFC with a knockout format begins with a quarterfinal setup with eight fighters across four weight divisions: flyweight, featherweight, bantamweight and lightweight.

The quarterfinal fights are separated into four episodes to be held over two days in Shanghai. Sumit Kumar competes in Episode 2 (May 27) and will face South Korea’s Seung Guk Choi in the 57kg flyweight division.

Guk Choi was part of the previous Road to UFC season, where he had won two fights before losing the flyweight final to compatriot Park Hyun Sung. The 26-year-old Choi holds a 6-2-0 record in Pro MMA.

SUMIT KUMAR PROFILE

Age: 22

Nationality: Indian

Height: 5’5’’

Weight: 56.70 kg

Stance: Orthodox

Pro MMA record: 4-0-0 (W-L-D)

Form guide (last five bouts): W-W-W-W-W

Stats: Four knockout wins, four submission wins

Watch the LIVE coverage of UFC Fight Night - Kara-France vs Albazi on Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 6:30 am IST on 4th June 2023 & live stream Road to UFC Ep #4 on SonyLIV at 5.30 pm IST on 28th May 2023