Who is UFC fighter Sumit Kumar? Road to UFC star's 7-0 record hit with fake fight allegations

Sumit Kumar accused of fake MMA record [Images via @sumitkumarmma on Instagram]
Sumit Kumar accused of fake MMA record [Images via @sumitkumarmma on Instagram]

Indian MMA fighter Sumit Kumar was recently signed for the second season of the Road to UFC. However, the occasion has been marred by allegations of fake fights on his record.

New talent and potential breakout stars from Asia were unearthed in the previous edition of the Road to UFC tournament. Anshul Jubli, the victor of an eight-man lightweight competition, became an instant celebrity in India when he was offered a contract with the UFC for his stellar performance against Jeka Saragih in the finals.

The UFC has signed Indian fighter Sumit Kumar for their eight-man flyweight tournament in the upcoming season. He will lock horns with Seung Guk Choi of South Korea.

Kumar is undefeated with a perfect 7-0 record, according to Sherdog. At first glance, Kumar looks like he could do well in the competition and could be another future star. However, the truth is much more complicated than that.

Bloody Elbow found that three of Kumar's seven fights on Tapology had red flags for potential issues with validity and were therefore disqualified from inclusion in his professional record. There is also a disclaimer stating that Kumar's first opponent has been discovered by Tapology to have engaged in activities that do not adhere to combat sports regulations, along with allegations against the fighter.

In an interview with Bloody Elbow, Indian MMA expert Rahul Chhabra shared some insights into the story:

“Based on all the accusations and poor performances of his opponents, an investigation was led into Sumit’s fighting career last year. Everything seemed normal until we went deeper to investigate the bout. There is no fighter in India named Prakash Raut, and this incident was a scam to build a padded record.”

According to Chhabra, Kumar staged a fight with a man named Mukul Anand, who went by the alias Prakash Raut to conceal his true fighting history. Bloody Elbow investigated the claims by watching and comparing numerous footage of Mukul Anand's fights to one of Kumar's fights against Raut.

Tapology has classified three of Sumit Kumar's fights, including his professional debut against Anand (aka Raut), as "ineligible" for the same alleged infringement. Kumar's professional record went from 7-0 in Sherdog and UFC.com to 4-0 in Tapology after the removal of his victories over Vijay Singh Barolia and Fateh Amin in 2020 and 2021, respectively.


Fake MMA record: Fans question UFC fighter Sumit Kumar's record

Indian MMA fighter Sumit Kumar has been accused of faking his professional record. Kumar recently signed with the UFC for the upcoming season of the Road to UFC.

According to the investigation mentioned previously, unlike his opponents, Sumit Kumar's record lacked anything marked as suspicious. The problem, according to Tapology, resides more with the event organizers than with Kumar himself, as they attempt to handle each case individually.

However, fight fans were quick to point out that Sumit Kumar's record has been padded. One fan wrote:

"If you're deserving the u can take some help from others [influence]. But this is clear cheating. And anyone tell me how he is deserving to be on the worlds greatest promotion?"

Another fan wrote:

"I have never seen him in indian Cricuit how the UFC signed him?"

Yet another fan wrote:

"The guy is 4-0, and the total wins of all his opponents till date is 0."

Check out some of the comments below:

MMA fans question legitimacy of Sumit Kumar's MMA record
MMA fans question legitimacy of Sumit Kumar's MMA record

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Edited by C. Naik