Mumbai, Jun 11 (PTI) Former Commonwealth heavyweight champion Sangram Singh is set to become the first Indian male wrestler to join mixed martial arts.

Sangram will be the second Indian overall after Puja Tomar to compete as a MMA fighter for which he has requisite skills being a wrestler, stated a release on Tuesday.

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“Wrestling has given me so much including the love from the people of my country and I hope that they will continue to do the same in my new endeavour,” Sangram said.

“MMA is the future, its growing popularity in the last few years speaks for itself. India has one of the highest viewerships for the sport and I hope that the fans of the sport can support me in the same manner,” he added.

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The 38-year-old Sangram recently made his return to wrestling after six-year gap at the Dubai Pro Wrestling Championship, in which he defeated Pakistan's Muhammad Saeed in a largely one-sided affair.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)