Suniel Shetty grew up on martial arts, wishes to 'give back in a big way'

Actor Suniel Shetty, who is set to host MMA reality series, 'Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt', has shared that his image of a tough-nut-to-crack action hero is because he grew up learning martial arts.

The actor said: "I grew up learning martial arts and that itself is something that gave me an opportunity and the image of an action hero in Hindi cinema, so I owed it to that. And then the break up of martial arts, boxing, escape boxing, jiu jitsu and so many different forms." "When you talk about MMA, it is coming together of all these formats to prove which one is not better than the other or which one probably is more effective than the other one."

He further mentioned: "And that's why I keep saying wrestling, wrestling, wrestling, wrestling, because that's about grabbing, less about power, less about grip, and hence I focus on the never say die approach."

"I felt I needed to start something on this stage of my career in a few years that I didn't even work. I wanted to give back, and I wanted to give back in a big way. The show is one way of nurturing talent from small towns; India has so much, but they don't get opportunity."

"So for me, it is about an opportunity for these kids and to bring about a change." The seasoned actor, who is an MMA enthusiast, also said that the MMA fighters are like his children and he takes inspiration from them.

"They are like my children. I cry for each one and I clap for each one. It's more about the beauty, it's the love and passion for the sport, and I also take inspiration from them."

"This is just the beginning and hopefully the 'Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt' will be the beginning. I call Khali bhai (The Great Khali) 'little gentle giant' and we need people like him to come forward and support these kinds of sports."

'Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt' will witness 16 top male and female MMA athletes compete for a title while being trained by renowned MMA coaches - Bharat Khandare and Pawan Maan. The six-episode series will be released on February 12 on MX Player.