She gave up CA career to become MMA referee: Meet Prachiti Nagpurkar, first Indian to officiate a bout at Asian Games

Maharashtra’s Prachiti Nagpurkar has made history at the Asian Games by becoming the first Indian to referee a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout at the continental multi-sport event. Her achievement comes after she walked away from a career in chartered accountancy to pursue her passion for MMA officiating.

Nagpurkar officiated one of the semifinal bouts at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center, where MMA made its debut at the Asian Games. She has also officiated at the Asian Games qualifiers, the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan and China, and the South East Asian Games this year.


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"We are a part of history here. MMA is my sport and seeing my sport come to Asian Games and representing my country as a referee has been a very surreal experience. I always dreamt of representing my country. I'm the first Indian official to be a match referee in MMA. I'm not just the first woman official," Parachiti told PTI in an exclusive interview.

She said representing the country is not limited to athletes and that officials can also play an important role on the international stage.

"Even if you can't represent your country as an athlete, the journey never ends. You can always represent your country in some other capacity, be a judge, an official and your name still comes along with your country name and trust me that feeling is very special."

Two other Indians were part of the officiating team for the MMA competition at the Asian Games, which concluded on Monday. However, both served as judges rather than referees.

Nagpurkar said her achievement was particularly meaningful in a sport that has traditionally been dominated by men.

"I'm very proud to say that in a male-dominated sport, it's a female official who got the first chance to referee at such a big level. I did refereeing in nine out of ten male fights recently.

"I'm very confident and I love it that I'm a petite female in the cage and I can boss around as the queen of the cage. I love that feeling," said Prachiti, who began her officiating journey in 2022.

She also encouraged more women to take up roles in sports traditionally dominated by men.

"I want to say to all females out there, we can go out there and do our best even if it's a male-dominated sport."

Why Prachiti left chartered accountancy for MMA

Nagpurkar said her decision to leave chartered accountancy was driven by her long-standing passion for martial arts.

"Though I'm a chartered accountant, Mixed Martial Arts is my love, my passion. I have left CA and now I am on officiating MMA matches.

"It never differentiated that I was a female. In India, I also referee male fights and there are big, big men standing. I'm a small female and I've found my way about it. I do not feel intimidated anymore. I'm very, very confident with my rules and in the cage."

MMA bouts in India are generally held inside a fenced enclosure commonly referred to as a cage or octagon.

What does it take to become an MMA referee?

Nagpurkar said experience in MMA is an important starting point for anyone looking to become an official. She has been involved in training since 2019 and also runs an MMA gym in Mumbai.

"First thing is, you have to be training in MMA. I own an MMA gym in Mumbai. I have been doing it since 2019. I have a couple of students, one of them won medal at Asian Youth Games.

"I have a couple of people that I train with. I actually have a team of female fighters who are going to be the next generation."

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Nagpurkar has completed qualifications that allow her to officiate at national and international competitions. She explained that her background as both a chartered accountant and martial artist helped shape her decision to pursue officiating.

"I started my journey because I'm a chartered accountant and I'm a martial artist. I have a combination of brains and physical strength. And I thought, why not use it. Studying is a part of me. So I did a lot of exams to become a judge and a referee."

The qualification process begins at the national level and progresses through different grades before officials can move to international competitions.

"You have to pass the national qualification first. There are levels C, B, A. Once you become A level, then you can go on to the Asian qualification. Then you can go to the world qualification.

"I started with C, then I became a B, then A. After that, I went on to the international level with the Asian Federation. I've just started, so I'm a level C with the Asian Federation right now. For this, I had to give a couple of exams, theory exams, practical exams, multiple times."With MMA now part of the Asian Games programme and Indian fighter Suchika Tariyal winning a bronze medal, Nagpurkar hopes the sport and its officiating ecosystem will gain greater visibility and opportunities in India.