Lucknow— Raja Babu Chaudhary was born to a small-time farmer 18 years ago in Kanshirampur village of Jalaun district in Uttar Pradesh. Despite growing up in poverty, Raja managed to play cricket at the district and zone level. There is a strong possibility that Raja would have been a state-level cricket player had he managed to grease the palms of the selectors at the state level (under-16).

Corruption in Cricket Selection

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Raja says, "A camp was organized at Jhansi for selection at the state level. The criteria were that anyone who takes 3 wickets and scores 100 runs in 3 matches would qualify for the next level. I managed to take 5 wickets and score 127 runs and passed the test, but the selectors demanded money to approve my selection for the next level."

He says, "I pleaded with them (the selectors) that I belong to a poor family and my father is a farmer, and therefore I won't be able to provide the money, but they didn't budge and I had to forego my dreams of cricket."

Dabbling in Boxing: Not Packing a Punch

While the cricket episode had left the teenager disappointed, it didn't affect his penchant for sports. "I don't want to do a job," he says. A boxing trial at the school level ensured his place at the district level, subsequently at the zonal level. But, he again failed to qualify for the state level. However, unlike cricket, this time a defeat in the knockout game prevented him from playing at the state level.

Mixed Martial Arts: The Final Calling

After the defeat in boxing, the 18-year-old boy returned to his home and completed his high school. He knew that fights were his calling and that he needed to join an academy to hone his combat skills. "I convinced my parents to send me to Delhi because the good academies are there."

Raja found a good fight club in Noida, which had good coaches. He says that he switched to Mixed Martial Arts, a full-contact combat sport that incorporates techniques from various combats around the world. High on hopes and determination, Raja fought his first fight after 39 days in the academy, against the advice of his coaches. But surprisingly, he managed to draw the match—a satisfactory performance in such a short time.

Kicking into High Gear

His experiment with Mixed Martial Arts was paying off, and he struck gold, literally, at the district level in the UP State Championship. His gold streak continued at the national level when he won a gold medal for Uttar Pradesh in the India Open held at Jabalpur. At the recently concluded National MMA and Striking MMA Championship conducted by the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts, he won gold for the state.

Abu Dhabi Championship: The Repository of Hopes, Which Fizzled Out

His steady performance impressed the selectors at the Mixed Martial Arts federation, and he was selected for the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation Youth Mixed Martial Arts World Championship 2023 to be held in Abu Dhabi, along with two others. The teenager was delighted at the selection as 44 countries were participating in the tournament, and he also managed to get sponsors for the event as he was required to pay for the airfare himself. But over time, everyone ditched him.

He reveals, "Initially, the sponsors assured me that they would fund my travel, but after I got my passport and visa done, they didn't answer my calls and didn't reply to my messages." Raja says, "The total cost of my participation, including registration, travel, visa, and accommodation, was 1,05,000, of which 25,000 was sanctioned by the selectors, i.e., Mixed Martial Arts India federation, and the remaining amount was around 80,000. I had to collect this amount within 5 days as the registration would close afterward. Being a farmer's son, it was hard for me to collect this amount. My friends and relatives helped me, but I still fell short of the required amount by 30-40,000, and I was deprived of the chance to play at the international level.

Hope Floats for Raja Babu

Raja is not alone, and there are thousands of other players belonging to poor marginalized families whose dreams are thwarted due to a lack of resources. However, his resolve remains undaunted, and he says, "I will certainly qualify for next year and win a medal for the country." Vimal Boudh, mentor of Raja Babu, says, "The biggest challenge we come across when training players from a rural background is a lack of resources. Another thing is that players also don't get the right environment here."