Raised By A Single Mother, Chungreng Koren Rose From The Ashes & Became An MMA Fighter

Manipur's Chungreng Koren, the youngest of the four siblings, grew up with a survival instinct that stemmed from a necessity - to rise above poverty and find solace for his mother who was raising them single-handedly. On March 9, 2024, Koren, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter won the Bantamweight title at the 14th edition of India's biggest MMA promotion, Matrix Fight Night (MFN). This win was not the only reason behind being in the limelight. When Koren was handed over the mike to speak something, he made an emotional and heartfelt request to PM Modi to visit Manipur and restore its peace. Today, Koren, the Indian Rhino, has reached a stage where he is not just capable of changing his family's financial status but also his surroundings. 

Rising From The Ashes - The Story Of Chungreng Koren

Koren hails from Kamu Koireng village in Kangpokpi district in Manipur which is 35 km away from Imphal. He was in his mother's womb when his father passed away, and life therein was only downhill for the family. But what kept them together and sturdy was the willingness to change their circumstance and that shows in Koren's impeccable journey as an athlete.

There was no medium of livelihood in his village except farming and labour work. His mother worked in her field and grew rice, cucumbers and pumpkins, after which she walked for about 4 km to board a bus to Imphal and sell whatever she reaped in the local market. The entire process was very taxing for her but Koran expressed in his many interviews that his mother's determination to raise her children well was unshakeable.

How Koren's mother became the medium of his acquaintance with wrestling

Seeing his mother's hard work and fortitude, an elderly woman in the market of Imphal approached her with a life-changing offer. The woman said that her daughter was a wrestling coach. Hearing this, Koren's mother found a light of hope and requested the elderly woman to ask her daughter to train one of her sons. 

This became the intervention in Koren's life. The elderly woman's daughter chose Koren for training and hence began his journey in wrestling. At the age of 12 or 13, he began his training in wrestling at the Special Areas Games in Khuman Lampak run by the Sports Authority of India.

While Koren was developing as a wrestler and competing at regional levels based on age, his mother was toiling at the farm every day earning barely more than Rs 120 or Rs 150. His brothers too had started working in the mountains running JCBs. 

However, poverty didn't allow Koren to survive in the world of wrestling for more than a couple of years. With no money to travel for tournaments, Koren returned home and felt he was better suited for farming. He fell in love, married and had a child of his own. 

An unshakeable support 

After a few years, his passion for wrestling sparked again. He confided about it in his mother. Seeing her son's eagerness to start wrestling, she helped him pursue it again. The restart journey was not easy. He lived in a one-room residence in the Khuman Lampak area with his wife and child. He was training in the morning and working as a construction labourer in the afternoon and evening.  

After training for two years, a glimpse of hope strengthened Koren. He qualified for the National Games in the men's 72 kg category. His elated mother once again did her best to support Koren's dream. She collected money from the entire village to sponsor his training and travel. 

How Koren entered into MMA

Packed with hope and passion, Koren reached Haryana to train himself while the National Games were supposed to be held in Goa. He trained himself for a month before the tournament but he again met with unexpected challenges as the National Games got postponed with no information of the next date. That's when Koren left wrestling and entered MMA. Under the guidance of Roshan, an MMA fighter from Manipur, Koren trained himself and finally achieved what he is today. Being in a better financial position, Koren gives personal and group training sessions to support his own training and aims bigger each day to represent his country in every international arena there is.