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View Full Version : Mystical India's Jaideep is "one in a billion"



K1shop
12-09-2009, 20:57
K-1's first Indian heavyweight, Singh "Heart" Jaideep, will be facing Ewerton Texeira in upcoming event FieLDS K-1 WORLD GP 2009 IN SEOUL -FINAL16-. Just how strong is this Indian warrior? We decided to take a look at martial arts in India to get an idea of where Jaideep is coming from.


K-1 starting to take off in India

When you think of Indian fighters, what names pop up in your head? If we are talking wrestlers, then perhaps Tiger Jeet Singh from way back - or more recently WWE's The Great Khal. For martial arts, the DREAM fighter, Black Mamba comes to mind. It's hard to believe, but in 17 years of fight history, K-1 has yet to feature a heavyweight fighter from Incredible India. Until now, that is.
Even with over a billion in population, the nation of India is shrowded in mystery. And what do they think of martial arts and K-1? Daniel Isaac of the Tiger International Fight Team comments as follows, "The most popular sport in India is cricket. Being broadcast on television helps it's popularity tremendously. However, K-1, which is broadcast on Star Sports, is starting to grow in popularity and the ratings are starting to rise."
Star Sports, India's popular sports channel, not only broadcasts the WGP series, but also the MAX, DREAM, and Dynamite!! series. Over the past few years, viewers of these shows have continued to increase. When Black Mamba KOed Hideo Tokoro, Indian fans were euphoric. "Today's martial arts enthusiasts are watching Star Sports and K-1 channel in order to learn the sport. There is little doubt that K-1's popularity will continue to rise." And if a K-1 tournament were to be held in India the popularity is sure to increase exponentially.
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Over 22 million martial artists!!

When you think of martial arts in India, the first thing that comes to mind is the traditional art of Kalari Payattu. However, the truth is that there are very few practitioners of the ancient art. The government works hard to preserve the art and often arranges exhibitions for tourists. Isaac reports that, "many Indians study martial arts, but mostly Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, and other Asian martial arts. The number of martial arts practicioners is around 2% of the total population. Martial Arts are taught in school, and are used in police forces and the military."
Even at 2%, in a population of 1.1 billion, that means over 22 million practicioners! With that huge a number, it was only a matter of time before a truly amazing warrior emerged. Isaac discussed the possibilities, "Except for Black Mamba and Singh, the most popular fighter abroad is Alan "The Bull" Fenandes thanks to his 2005 fight in London against Mark Epstein for the IKF World Kickboxing Championship. For heavyweights, the most famous is Bhupesh Kamble. He has power and is definitely K-1 material." Apparently, Fenandes also did well in last year's Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship. It would be interesting to see what he could do in DREAM.
In boxing we have Beijing medalist Vijender Kumar who went home a hero. This handsome young middleweight won the bronze and became the first Indian boxer to win a medal. Just imagine the uproar if he were to challenge the K-1 ring!
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Home of Champions

India's region of Punjab is especially well-known for the number of world-class athletes that hail from there. Black Mamba, Jaideep, Fenandes, The Great Kali, and other top wrestlers and boxers are from this region. Punjabis tend to be taller, more lithe, and more athletic than their fellow countrymen. Isaac explains that, "they tend to be smaller in the Northeast, but like their Chinese counterparts, they tend to be tougher. There are many boxers, karatekas, and other fighters from the Northeast. Indian martial artists have a high level of skill and the martial spirit to match. If they only had more chances to show it, they would easily prove just how great they can be."
All over the world Indian athletes are proving themselves in sports such as cricket, hockey, tennis, soccer, boxing, track and field, and golf. World-ranked 29th Jeev Milkha Singh has recently become the highest ranking Indian golfer ever.
Looking to make a name for himself on the world stage is K-1 hopeful Singh "Heart" Jaideep. The more we learn about this fighter and the country he comes from, the more apparent it is that it won't be long before he stands shoulder to shoulder with India's other sports heroes. Singh will take his next step toward stardom on September 26th, 2009 as he represents his country in the K-1 WGP FINAL16 tournament. It is there that he will prove that he is truly one in a billion.
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ik ben benieuwd wat hij brengen gaat.. ik weet absoluut niets van indiase vechters. al was het wel in de filmpjes dat hij graag een slagen uitwisseling aangaat.