By Sahil Kohli
Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 3 : India's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player Siddharth Singh spoke on organising the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP) Tour India in June and expressed pride in the progress made in the country's Jiu-Jitsu scene over the years.
Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro (AJP) Tour is the world's biggest professional Jiu-Jitsu tournament. Siddharth holds the exclusive rights to organise the Indian leg of the competition. The competition this year started on June 21. It marks the second edition of the AJP India series, following a successful debut last year at Indira Gandhi Stadium.
Speaking to ANI, Siddharth said that this year, around 200 athletes from India participated in the competition and his academy, The Crosstrain Fight Club, secured the first ranking.
"Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro is the biggest Jiu Jitsu tournament in the world. It takes place in every country in the world. After a lot of hard work, we got the chance to organise it in India. In this tournament, around 200 Indian fighters participated. Apart from that, there were fighters from Europe, East Asia, and Africa."
"Because this is a world-ranking tournament, it is a grand prix. So, when you participate in every country, you get medals and points. They go to your world ranking at the end of the year."
"So, a lot of AJP athletes travel to India and compete. They are trying to become the world number one in their weight class. So, a lot of foreigners had come. And it felt good that so many Indians came. Because now Indians will also get ranked in India. Their Asian ranking will come, and their world ranking will come. Because of this one tournament," he concluded.
During the interview, Siddharth, a player and coach at his academy, Crosstrain Fight Club, also revealed that his academy secured first place in the competition among all academies.
Siddharth expressed happiness at the rise of Jiu-Jitsu in India in recent years, saying that during the competition, even players from small cities came to participate and were great on a technical level.
"So, a lot of kids are now, either they leave a small city and go to a big academy and train. Or in their small city, they find online or they coordinate with coaches, take affiliations and send techniques to coaches. They train in their small city. So, that was very inspiring. That people are coming from small cities and performing very well," he added.
Recalling the growth of AJP as a competitor, Siddharth said that it has grown over the years and revealed that it has secured the 11th rank in 2022.
"I competed a lot in the AJP circuit. So, it has changed. Level of athletes, level of competition. It is world-class. My dream is that an Indian represents the country in the World Championships and wins the title in the black belt division during the AJP World Championships, which take place in November. There is a special stadium just for that championship in Abu Dhabi, and the vibe there is unreal. Brazilians from all over the world come, Americans come, Europeans come. And superstars come to support. So, that is the goal," he added.
Siddharth also admitted that juggling his responsibilities as a player, coach, organiser of AJP Tour India, and a business owner gets difficult for him. He also revealed that organising the AJP Tour India last year at the Indira Gandhi Stadium caused numerous challenges.
"Because we thought that it was such a big stadium. But as you know, when you organise in a permanent stadium, there are so many challenges that you never imagined. So, this time I had a completely different perspective. I said that I will book a private facility. I will book a world-class facility (for the competition). Fully air-conditioned. With clean bathrooms. cheap restaurants. All facilities. We did the event this year in Noida in a private facility, and athletes had a fine experience and enjoyed themselves," he added.
The athlete-coach also revealed that referees undergo rigorous training to minimise errors during matches. The mission of the AJP Tour India organiser is to provide athletes with a great experience, where they receive matches well in advance and have sufficient time at the playing arena.
Speaking on his journey as a boxer during his younger days to becoming a Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu player, coach and a business owner, Siddharth said that he is barely getting started and the mission is to have an Indian win a championship belt at the top mixed-martial-arts (MMA) promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a black belt world title at AJP Tour.
"My 10-year goal is to have an Indian win a title belt in the UFC. And I really want to have a black belt world champion from India at the AJP. These are my two big goals. And to achieve that, I cannot take a break. I cannot take a day off. I need to be committed to this day in and day out. So, that is what I have put," he concluded.