Gurdarshan “Saint Lion” Mangat knows his native India has been going through some troubling times amid the recent wave of COVID-19.

With that in mind, he’s dedicating his next bout to compatriots back home in hopes of inspiring them to overcome hardships.

The veteran mixed martial artist will take on fellow Indian Roshan Mainam in a catchweight matchup at ONE: DANGAL, which airs this Saturday, 15 May, on the ONE Super App at 6 p.m. SGT.

“I’ve known Roshan for quite some time. We trained together in India,” Mangat said.

“We were on a reality show together, too, before we signed for ONE Championship. He is one the kids I speak to quite a bit. I told him that he has a bright future in the game. I told him to join [famed training gym] Evolve. I told him do what you are doing, keep working hard. It’s crazy that our paths aligned this way and here we are.”

On Saturday, the two athletes from India will be fighting for the same goal, but only one of them will be able to walk away with the victory for their homeland.

And “Saint Lion” knows it won’t come easy against a ground specialist who already owns three submission wins in ONE.

“I think he has good wrestling, but I am still better. I am much more well-versed. It is a good opportunity for him – the pressure’s on me,” Mangat said.

“But I will be ready for everything. I was ready for Geje [Eustaquio], a former flyweight champion. There’s no reason I am not ready for this guy.”

To prepare for this fight, Mangat moved his camp from Canada to the United States, but that meant spending a lot of time away from his loved ones.

These sacrifices, however, are something he deemed necessary in order to secure the win against his rising-star opponent.

“My preparations never changed, but I had stayed separated from my family for a long period. I haven’t seen my wife in two months because my camp was in Vegas, and going back home wasn’t an option without quarantine,” he said.

“But sacrifice is part of the job, and I made them all in Vegas.”

In the end, “Saint Lion” hopes his matchup with Mainam will bring some momentary joy to his nation.

“It definitely changes the dynamic – India versus India. It was fun when it was India versus Philippines or somebody else. Now, it is against someone I consider a friend. So, it is an interesting situation. Let’s see how it turns out,” Mangat said.

“I think he is going to realize the difference between the top and him working towards it. He has a bright future ahead of him, but this fight might be a bad matchup for him at this point in his career. He took it, he wanted this opportunity, and I am here in Singapore.

“It’s been hard times, but I want to give my people something to celebrate. I want to show them that their spirit inspires me and motivates me. I created a very comfortable life for myself and didn’t need to fight again, but passion to represent brought my fire back for my people.”

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