Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.

A perfect example of the following quote Riya Thapa joined us on 21 December for an enthralling and engaging session of “INSE MILIYE”, an initiative by AAGAAZ youth club to introduce the youth to get inspired by the achievers present among them.
Belonging to a simple and humble family from Uttarakhand Riya is a rising star in the MMA world. Nicknamed as Dehradun Dynamo she is first Uttarakhand female professional MMA fighter. She is a member of the Mutant MMA Dehradun team; Mutant MMA Dehradun is a leading MMA fight team in India with coach Angad Bisht.

The talk session was hosted by Ms. Rakhi in which talks revolved around life journey and challenges faced by a female fighter. Riya talked about her journey which has not been a cakewalk. She didn’t receive a great support from her family, her father remarried in desire of having a son. Her only assist was her mother who stood in solidarity with her. Her mother also from sports background but couldn’t thrive under family pressure but she ensured her child don’t miss out on any opportunity and helped her achieve the success. Her strength and determination have always motivated Riya to keep going, regardless of the situations.

Riya always believed that if the mind is strong, the path will be created itself. She heard a lot of things along the way—like you’ll get beaten up, your face will get ruined, or societal pressure of coming home at night but she never paid attention to these comments. She always focused on her goal. When she felt that her long hair was causing a problem, she just cut it herself. She always kept pushing forward, knowing that her hard work will eventually speak louder than any judgments. Whenever she had to face any bias for being a girl, she always found a way to overcome the problem. She shared one such example of situation when she is on her periods. Instead of surrendering to the situation she practices with more intensity thinking as if it is her match day. Another big problem was lack of fellow girl trainee for practice. Training with 80 boys and only 2 girls, sometimes being the only one, was definitely tough but that never stopped her rather It only made her more determined to prove herself among the boys.

Riya acclaimed UFC is her ultimate goal for which she is ready to put everything on the line. She believes that persistence will help her succeed and is confident that one day she will make her mark in UFC and proudly represent the country on the global stage.

Wrapping up the talk Riya thanked AAGAAZ youth club for inviting her. She felt amazing to meet so many young people and share the journey with all. She wished that if the journey can inspire even one person to chase their dreams, that will be the biggest success for her. She has always encouraged girls who want to make a mark in sports to believe in themselves and not let any obstacles hold them back.

Riya, your words were truly powerful. We wish you all the best for your journey, and we look forward to seeing you in UFC soon!!