Pure sport or blood sport?

For Waikiki’s Chris Indich, mixed martial arts (MMA) is the chance to make a name for himself around the world.

The 26-year-old is competing in a new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) reality television show that premiered on pay TV yesterday, putting Australia’s best fighters against Canada’s best for a chance for one fighter to win a coveted contract with UFC.

Hundreds of fighters auditioned for the 16-man competition, with the Kwinana High School graduate the only West Australian selected.

Indich told the Courier growing up he had always been interested in boxing but had trained in MMA for only four years.

After the auditions, he travelled to America to take part in an intense training camp, making sure he would have the competitive edge.

‘I was in Vegas when I had an email from the producers that they needed to get in contact with me urgently, and I was told that I had been selected for the show,’ he said.

Eight Aussies were flown to Canada to live and train together alongside eight Canadians.

The show was filmed just north of Montreal and the fighters spent six gruelling weeks competing for a shot at the title and the contract.

‘It’s a sport that you have to be completely dedicated to and (have) 100 per cent commitment to training and eating right,’ he said.

‘It’s the prospect of losing that drives me in a fight and I don’t fight to impress anyone or to please people, but I don’t want to disappoint my family and friends in the ring.’

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