Angad Bisht: Uttarakhandi MMA Fighter

Angad Bisht is a professional mixed martial artist from the hills of Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, whose journey to the cage defied the conventional path expected of him. Trading a planned career in medicine and government service for the uncertainty of professional fighting, he has gone on to become one of the most recognisable Indian names in Asian MMA, coming agonisingly close to a UFC contract in 2024.

Angad Bisht was born on 5 June 1995 in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. Like many young people in the region, he was steered by his family toward a stable, respected career path – he initially pursued studies aimed at a career in medicine, and was later encouraged to sit for the Public Service Commission examination, a common aspiration in Indian households.

Despite having the academic ability to pursue medicine, Bisht found his heart pulled toward mixed martial arts instead, choosing what he has described as an unconventional and rebellious path by Indian standards. That decision to walk away from a "safe" career in favour of professional fighting has become a defining part of his story.

Bisht built his professional reputation primarily on India's Matrix Fight Night (MFN) circuit, run by the promotion founded by Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff. He recorded a string of victories over Chungreng Koren, Chaitanya Gavali, and Himanshu Kaushik, putting together a run of consecutive wins that earned him a shot at the promotion's inaugural flyweight title.

In November 2022, at Matrix Fight Night 10 in Dubai, Bisht defeated Egypt's Mohamed Gamal to become the promotion's first-ever Flyweight Champion, cementing his status as one of the top flyweights in Asian MMA.

Bisht's biggest opportunity came in 2024, when he entered the Road to UFC Season 3 tournament – the same UFC affiliated pathway that had earlier delivered a contract to fellow Indian fighter Anshul Jubli. Competing in the flyweight bracket, Bisht defeated Filipino fighter John Dave Almanza via TKO (strikes) at 3:39 of the first round in the quarter-finals on 19 May 2024, in what was described as a dominant, one sided finish.

The win set up a semi final showdown against unbeaten South Korean fighter DongHun Choi at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on 23–24 August 2024, with the winner set to advance to the tournament final and a shot at a UFC contract. In a fierce back-and-forth battle, Bisht drew first blood, cracking Choi with a right hand in the opening round, but Choi rallied over the final two rounds, and the fight went to a split decision that was awarded to the South Korean (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) ending Bisht's UFC ambitions just one win short of the final.

It's important to clarify exactly what Bisht's "UFC" fights were. Road to UFC is a tournament broadcast on UFC platforms and held at the UFC APEX facility, but competing in it does not make a fighter an official UFC roster member – only the tournament winners earn that contract. Bisht's results within this pathway were:

• Quarter-Final (19 May 2024): Defeated John Dave Almanza via TKO (strikes), Round 1, 3:39.
• Semi-Final (23 August 2024): Lost to DongHun Choi via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Following his semi-final defeat, Bisht did not secure a UFC contract, and Choi went on to compete in the tournament final in Macau against Kiru Singh Sahota for a place on the UFC roster.

Bisht returned to the Matrix Fight Night circuit following his Road to UFC exit, facing Firdavs "Hawk" Zaripov at MFN 17, held at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida on 2 August 2025. Zaripov won the contest, handing Bisht a second consecutive high-level defeat and underlining the difficulty of the flyweight division he competes in.

As of the latest available information, Angad Bisht does not have an officially confirmed next fight date. Road to UFC finalist Kiru Singh Sahota, who defeated Ruel Panales in the same Season 3 semi-finals before going on to win a UFC contract, has publicly called out Bisht for a potential future matchup – though this remains an informal callout rather than a confirmed, contracted bout.

Bisht is continuing to compete on the Matrix Fight Night circuit, where he remains one of the promotion's most prominent flyweights, and fans continue to speculate on whether he will get another crack at a Road to UFC tournament in a future season.

Angad Bisht holds a professional MMA record of 10 wins and 5 losses, with victories spanning knockouts, submissions, and decisions – a testament to his well-rounded skill set.

Note: Complete records for all of Bisht's early professional and regional bouts (including his time with the now-defunct Super Fight League) are not fully documented across public MMA databases; the table above reflects his most notable and verifiable fights.

Bisht has spoken warmly of his relationship with fellow Uttarakhandi UFC fighter Anshul Jubli, describing him as being "like a brother," while noting that the two tend to stay focused on their own individual preparation during training camps rather than sharing tactical advice. He has also trained alongside Indian MMA pioneer Puja Tomar in Indonesia. Ahead of his Road to UFC semi-final, Bisht expressed confidence that Uttarakhand's sports culture was on the rise, pointing to badminton star Lakshya Sen's stirring Paris Olympics run as a sign that more athletes from the state would break through onto the global stage.

Angad Bisht's career carries significance for Uttarakhand's growing presence in Indian combat sports.

He represents:

• A former Matrix Fight Night Flyweight Champion who came within one win of a UFC contract
• Part of a small but growing group of Uttarakhandi fighters, alongside Anshul Jubli and Digamber Singh Rawat, putting the state on India's MMA map
• An example of choosing an unconventional path against family and social expectations to pursue a professional fighting career

Having come agonisingly close to the UFC once already, Angad Bisht's next move – whether back into title contention on the domestic circuit or another shot at a UFC pathway – remains one of the most closely watched storylines in Indian MMA.