Chungreng Koren, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter also known as ‘The Indian Rhino’, has earned his title through years of dedication. Recently, he won the (Interim) Bantamweight title at the 14th edition of Matrix Fight Night (MFN), India's biggest MMA promotion.

Growing up in Kamu Koireng, a remote village in Manipur, Koren faced immense hardships from a young age. His father passed away before he was born, leaving his mother to raise him and his three siblings through farming.

Koren and his family struggled to make ends meet. They would walk kilometres to sell produce at the local market.

During one of these trips, an elderly lady noticed Koren’s mother and offered to introduce him to her daughter, a wrestling coach at the Sports Authority of India’s Special Areas Games (SAG) centre.

This encounter opened doors for him. At 12, Koren began formal wrestling training, quickly progressing with the dream of representing India at the Olympics. Over time, he started representing Manipur in various regional tournaments.

Despite his dedication to wrestling, financial challenges loomed large. “I didn’t even have money to travel for tournaments. There were times I would borrow money from friends with a promise to return it,” he says. Younger trainees would mock him for his financial struggles, testing his resolve.

By 2012, the weight of financial and emotional struggles led Koren to leave wrestling and prioritise his family. He returned home, got married, and took up farming to provide stability for his family, marking a new chapter away from his athletic dreams.

Shortly after, Koren became a father, shifting his focus entirely to family life. However, in 2016, his passion for wrestling was reignited. “At night, I would suddenly get the urge to do push-ups and other exercises,” he recalls.

Determined to pursue his dream, he began training again, balancing it with construction work in the afternoons and evenings to support his family. After two years, he qualified for the National Games, but the games were postponed. In 2022, he competed in Gujarat.

When COVID-19 struck, a fellow Manipur MMA fighter, Roshan Mainam, opened a gym in Imphal and offered Koren a coaching position, providing him a steady income.

Through his coaching position, Koren continued to train, ultimately achieving a remarkable four-fight win streak and holding a professional record of 6-1. With both his MMA career and coaching role on the rise, he finally feels a sense of financial stability after years of struggle.

“Today, things are a lot more stable financially with my MMA career on the rise while also working as a coach at this gym with close to 50 students. For years, I felt like I was carrying a 1,000 kg load on my shoulders. Now, I can at least breathe a little easier,” Koren says.