Rahul Raju Crowned 2019 Indian MMA Fighter Of The Year
Indian mixed martial arts superstar Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju has added another accolade to his distinguished resume.
On 17 January, “The Kerala Krusher” won MMA India Show’s 2019 Indian Fighter Of The Year award.
A panel of three judges had the task of selecting the winner from a list of ten of the country’s finest mixed martial artists, which included ONE Championship’s Puja “The Cyclone” Tomar, Roshan Mainam, Asha “Knockout Queen” Roka, Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat, and Raju himself.
Indian actor, director, model, and MMA India Show host Parvin Dabas declared Raju the winner on his podcast. Dabas and his team discussed the award afterwards, citing Raju’s strong performances against Richard “Notorious” Corminal and Furqan “The Lion” Cheema as the deciding factor in giving “The Kerala Krusher” the nod.
Raju was recently promoted to brown belt by his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Matt Pelino, and his commitment to “the gentle art” has already shown.
Both of Raju’s wins in ONE Championship have come by way of submission and are further proof of his evolution into a bona fide mixed martial arts star.
At ONE: ENTER THE DRAGON in May 2019, the Juggernaut Fight Club representative battled back from a staggering superman punch to submit Corminal in the first-round with a rear-naked choke.
Then he improved his overall record to 7-4 when he submitted Cheema in the second round with another rear-naked choke at ONE: EDGE OF GREATNESS in November.
Raju – a native of the southern Indian state of Kerala – expressed his appreciation in an Instagram video and vowed to become a ONE World Champion.
“I want to thank the judges who chose me for this award,” he said.
“I will work even harder and by 2021, I will make sure to get that ONE Championship belt around my waist. Thank you.”
ONE Championship travels to Jakarta, Indonesia next for ONE: WARRIOR’S CODE on Friday, 7 February.
Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action live and for free.
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