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MMA

Manipur's first woman MMA fighter Jojo Rajkumari sold vegetables, pakodas to sustain career

Hailing from a small town towards the south of Imphal in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur, Jojo Rajkumari is a Mixed Martial Art (MMA) fighter.

Jojo Rajkumari (Source: Instagram)
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Jojo Rajkumari (Source: Instagram)

By

Abhijit Nair

Updated: 7 May 2021 2:02 PM GMT

Taking up any combat sport professionally in India is not easy, especially if you are a girl. The people around you – be it friends, relatives or neighbours, are always concerned about your body. The taunts are never-ending.

Rising above these mocking and following your passion is never easy. And that's exactly what Jojo Rajkumari did.

Hailing from a small town towards the south of Imphal in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur, Jojo Rajkumari is a Mixed Martial Art (MMA) fighter. She turned professional only in the year 2018 and currently holds a 2-1 win to loss record in the MMA circuit.

Jojo started her martial art career as a kick-boxer in the year 2007; and much like every female martial artist to have emerged from the country, she was rebuked for pursuing a sport as physical as kick-boxing. Besides her family was not well-off financially as well, but she kept going just for the love of martial art.


It was only after she started winning medals at state-level tournaments in kick-boxing that her family started supporting her. Even then the financial support was hard, but she kept going.

Jojo was always passionate about MMA, but the prospects were limited. So when an opportunity presented itself in 2018, she accepted it with both her hands. Her first tryst with MMA happened when the head coach of Kangleipak Mixed Martial Art Club (KMMAC), N Frank, invited her to compete in an MMA tournament in Imphal having seen her kick-boxing videos on the social media platform Facebook.

Jojo has since turned into a professional MMA fighter and has been training under Frank. Competing in the Manipur Fight League or Chainaba, she boasts of a 2-1 record with her only loss coming during her debut fight at KMMAC.


Jojo Rajkumari

To support her professional MMA career, Jojo indulges in some seasonal businesses. For instance, she sells cotton clothes during summer and woolen clothes in winter. Besides, she also used to sell pakoras at a roadside stall and was also seen selling vegetables to sustain her family during the pandemic last year.

The first-ever women MMA fighter from Manipur, Jojo Rajkumari is an embodiment of passion, dedication, and sheer determination!

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