Dr Ritesh Reddy is one of those very few martial artists in the world who has a full instructor level certification to teach and rank Bruce Lee's legendary street-effective Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do (JKD). At 36, it is quite unusual to make an official debut in a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight competition, but for Dr Reddy, age is just a number as it's all about "being water"!
Many of us must be aware of Major Deepak Rao, who is one of the most accomplished close-combat specialists in India, and is certified as one of the biggest JKD instructors in the world, by Bruce Lee's student, the late Grandmaster Richard Bustillo.
Dr Reddy has been a student of Major Rao and his wife Seema Rao for close to 12 years at the Unarmed Commando Combat Academy (UCCA) in Mumbai.
For those still scratching your heads after hearing the name of Deepak Rao, these two things say it all:
- He has had 17 years contribution in the Indian Army and has received the honorary rank of 'major' in the Parachute Battalion TA for imparting the knowledge of Close Quarter Battle (CQB).
- He is the brand ambassador of India's Territorial Army, along with the likes of Abhinav Bindra and MS Dhoni.
Bruce Lee JKD lineage
- 1st generation student - Richard Bustillo
- 2nd generation students - Deepak Rao, Seema Rao
- 3rd generation student under Rao couple - Ritesh Reddy
YBN 9 - The Art of War
Major Deepak Rao's student Dr Ritesh Reddy takes on Poland's Lukasz Kasniewski at the Young Blood Night (YBN) 9 - The Art of War event in Bavaria, Germany, on Saturday, June 3, in a featherweight (66 kg limit) fight.
Kansiewski has a 3-4-0 record already in MMA, but is that intimidating enough for Dr. Reddy? Well, not quite, as he expects a "flawless victory".
But how?
In an exclusive interaction with the International Business Times, India, Dr. Reddy reveals all the training regime, his confident predictions and more. EXCERPTS:
IBT India: Your opponent is way younger to you and has past MMA experience as well. Do you feel a disadvantage already?
Dr. Reddy: Age is an advantage in the physical arena and attributes such as speed, power, agility are an advantage in the younger man. As one ages, these attributes suffer and the ability to recover from exertion and injury reduce considerably.
However understanding this and preparing for it can help the experienced practitioner make up the deficit using skill and strategy. That's all.
IBT India: Now let's get deeper into the preparations you've undertaken.
Dr. Reddy: The training routine has covered all the aspects of MMA, starting from strength and conditioning to skill training in all ranges - kicking, punching, knee elbow, grappling and ground fighting.
I have trained with a variety of opponents to simulate different situations and possibilities.
While I'm a southpaw, I had to rewire my techniques for a conventional stance opponent. The diet and nutrition was also carefully planned and my diurnal rhythms were changed to suit the time zone in which I'm fighting.
Being from a tropical climate, preparing for fighting in cold climes is also a challenge.
IBT India: That looks like every single detail or gap has been taken care of! Brilliant, so coming to your field of expertise, tell me honestly: can the lethal art of JKD win over the small world of MMA cage?
Dr. Reddy: As a JKD practitioner, training for MMA is a downgrade as we are used to hitting at the back of the head, spine, using downward elbows, kicking the groin, cranking the spine, attacking eyes and manipulating small joints.
So the challenge lies in toning down these lethal skills to fit within the confines of Unified MMA rules and not get disqualified!
IBT India: That's definitely a challenge in itself. Nevertheless, if you can give a prediction for your own fight, what would it be?
Dr. Reddy: My prediction is a "Flawless Victory" (smiles).
If you remember the Mortal Kombat game of yore, you'll know what I'm talking about. The combat sports are unpredictable and like the old saying goes "..sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you."
Let's not say more!
