Who is Prachiti Nagpurkar? The chartered accountant who quit lucrative career to become India's first MMA referee at Asian Games 2026

NEW DELHI: Maharashtra's Prachiti Nagpurkar left behind a career in chartered accountancy to follow her passion for mixed martial arts. Prachiti became the first Indian official to referee a mixed martial arts bout at the Asian Games when she took charge of one of the semifinal bouts at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center. MMA made its debut at the continental multi-sport event in Aichi-Nagoya.For Prachiti, the achievement was about more than officiating a fight. It was about representing India in a sport she has loved for years.Who is Prachiti Nagpurkar?Prachiti started her MMA officiating journey in 2022, but her association with the sport began earlier.She has been training in MMA since 2019 and also owns an MMA gym in Mumbai. She trains students at the gym, including a team of female fighters whom she believes are the next generation of the sport.Asked about the qualifications required to become an MMA official, she said:"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."From chartered accountant to MMA refereePrachiti's journey from chartered accountancy to MMA officiating has been unconventional. Despite having a professional qualification, she chose to pursue her passion for the sport."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."Most MMA fights in India take place inside a fenced enclosure known as a cage or octagon.Prachiti believes her background in both academics and martial arts helped her become an official."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."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."'We are a part of history here'Being part of MMA's Asian Games debut made the occasion even more special for Prachiti."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," Prachiti said.She also believes athletes are not the only ones who can represent their country at major sporting events."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."'The queen of the cage'Prachiti has also officiated several men's bouts and says she is comfortable working in a sport traditionally 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 journey in 2022.She also has a message for women looking to enter sports that have traditionally been 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."From Asian Games qualifiers to international eventsPrachiti's Asian Games assignment was not her only international officiating experience this year.She has officiated at the Asian Games qualifiers and the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan and China. She has also worked at the Southeast Asian Games.There were two other Indians officiating in the Asian Games MMA competition, which concluded on Monday. However, they were judges and not referees.Prachiti's appearance as a referee therefore marked a first for Indian MMA officiating at the Asian Games.Hoping MMA grows in IndiaPrachiti hopes MMA will receive a further boost after making its Asian Games debut and Suchika Tariyal winning a bronze medal.Her journey from chartered accountancy to the MMA cage has given her a place in Indian sports history and shown another way of representing the country beyond being an athlete.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.