Suniel Shetty will host India’s first MMA reality series, Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt, presented by MX Player, Toyam Sports

Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt, India's first MMA reality series, is now available for viewing on MX Player's content arm, MX Studios. This is done in an effort to capitalise on the growing popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) and to give untold stories a chance to reach Indian viewers. The MX Studios Original, Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt, hosted by MMA enthusiast and Bollywood superstar Suniel Shetty, will feature 16 of the best male and female MMA competitors competing for a title under the guidance of famous MMA coaches Bharat Khandare and Pawan Maan. In addition to MX Player, Chief Operating Officer Nikhil Gandhi, Sunny Shetty, Toyam Sports Limited's CMD Mohamedali Budhwani, and prominent sports figures Mahavir Singh Phogat, Khali, and Ritu Phogat, the announcement was made. Kumite1 Warrior Hunt will begin exclusively streaming on MX Player on February 12, 2023

Kumite1 Warrior Hunt is being produced in collaboration with Toyam Sports Limited, and SATSport News has been secured as the Title Sponsor. The series intends to strengthen the MMA community, and businesses backing the athletes include Ryders, Aquitein, FITTR (which gave each fighter Rs. 50,000,000 and onboarded all coaches on the FITTR APP), Multifit (which gave all the fighters employment with an assured income), and Body First (Given lifetime nutrition support to all contestants).

SUNIEL SHETTY A HOST AND MMA FAN STATED:

Suniel Shetty, a host and MMA fan, stated, “I have too much to take home. I hope Kumite1 Warrior Hunt is the bridge to make wrestling a household name in India. I truly believe that this sport has the potential to become the biggest in India that could easily take over football and cricket. Martial Arts is a large part of who I am even before I became an actor. Hats off to MX Player, Toyam Sports' Mohamedali Budhwani, Endemol Shine and my brand partners including FITTR, Multifit, Body First, Ryders and Aquitein, for helping me give back to the sport with jobs, nutrition and training facilities for their lifetime. The emotion, the struggle, what the contestants want to achieve, their human stories and their humble background adds to the beauty of the show. My India is unstoppable. These are the heroes.I take inspiration from these contestants and this is just the beginning!”

Suniel noted that it was an honour to have Indian athletic stars present at the Kumite1 Warrior Hunt launch. “It was a pleasure to have 'The little gentle giant, Khali, Guru Mahavir Singh Phogat because 'Guru se hi sab shuru hota hai toh Jeet guaranteed hai' and Ritu Phogat who is 'such a talented girl to conquer the world of women's wrestling'.”

NIKHIL GANDHI CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF MX PLAYER

Nikhil Gandhi, Chief Operating Officer of MX Player, commented on the debut and said, “At MX Studios, we create innovative and engaging branded content to meet the contemporary entertainment needs of our viewers. We have partnered with Toyam Sports to present Kumite1 Warrior Hunt as we wanted MMA fans to find new and unique ways to connect with the sport, reflect the fighters competitive spirit and to give them an unprecedented view of what it takes to be in this business. After the phenomenal success of Dharavi Bank, we are privileged to have Suniel Shetty as the host of the series. MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and this series is our foray into sports based content.”

CMD MOHAMEDALI BUDHWANI STATED

The winners of the "Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt" will each earn a monetary prize of USD 5000 as well as an exclusive 3 year contract, while the losers will each receive a contract for one year. The victors will also get the chance to receive international training in order to network with the greatest athletes abroad and to represent "Team India" at the K-1 Asian Championship in the middle of 2023 in the United Arab Emirates. Speaking on the subject, CMD Mohamedali Budhwani stated: "Toyam Sports Ltd. (TSL), synonymous with Kumite 1 League (K1L) in India, aspires to revolutionize and popularize MMA in India, and to give a platform to the vast untapped potential in the country. Our unique web series, ‘Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt: Season1’, is being released and we remain confident that this series will make waves across the country. Our confidence stems from our association with the bluest of blue-chip companies for the production of this series. With MX player for showcasing the series, the series will be produced by a known sports content production house Oneway Films Pvt. Ltd. and line produced by none other than EndemolShine India, which ranks amongst the top reality content production houses in the country and hosted by Bollywood actor and fitness icon Suniel Shetty. We, at TSL, believe that Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt will help promote MMA in a big way. Warrior Hunt will manage to create a large pool of talent in the country; many of whom, we believe, will go ahead and proudly represent our country on international platforms."

MMA FIGHTERS WHO ARE HAVE BEEN SELECTED

Rekha Choudhary, Monika Kiran Ghag, Priyanka Jeet Toshi, Heena Ali sher Shaikh, Lakhi Das, Harpreet Kaur, and Shalu Sharma are among the Indian MMA fighters who have been chosen through multiple rounds of auditions for a title while receiving instruction from renowned MMA coaches Bharat Khandare and Pawan Maan. Kiran Singh, Siddharth Chandanshive, Mehdi Nasiri, Pradeep Hooda, Suraj Bahadur, Sameer Janjhotra, Sohail Khan, Krishna Payasi, and Neitso Angami are some of the actors who appear in this cast.

MMA COMPETITIONS

With stories of survival, passion, and bravery, the six-episode series will give viewers a first-hand understanding of the challenges faced by these athletes in their MMA journey. This will make the series incredibly relatable. The struggles and feelings that MMA fighters have as they try to balance their personal life with their ambition to compete in MMA competitions are further highlighted in this series.

Kumite1 Warrior Hunt will stream exclusively on MX Player beginning on February 12th, 2023.