Andrew Canday and Devleena Canday: Meet the MMA officiating Couple from India

Andrew Canday and Devleena Canday have been married for four years. The couple hopes that by sharing their love of mixed martial arts, they would encourage others to take an interest in the frequently overlooked profession of officiating.

They first met for the first time in college. They shared a common love for combat sports during that time itself and to date, they make an effort to keep it alive. The Candays are now GAMMA's first husband and wife to receive international certification.

“We make it a point to take time during the week to lift weights and train together for MMA or BJJ. We are living proof of the phrase, you train together, you stay together,” they said in an interview with GAMMA.

By trade, Andrew is an engineer and entrepreneur who runs a manufacturing business with his father and shares ownership of a cryptocurrency exchange. Despite this, he still finds time to fulfil his refereeing duties for GAMMA.

Prior to this, he had his fair share of competitions as well and recently secured a win in the BJJ Open which was held in UFC Gym Bandra in Mumbai, India.

“For several years, we have been educating Indian athletes about the sport of MMA and staging a number of national championships and other events. I made the transition from athlete to referee and there has been no turning back since that moment. I have made it my mission to impart sound knowledge of the sport and to educate individuals that are willing to learn and then certify them under the banner of GAMMA India. I currently have a home-grown team of over 40 well-trained and experienced officials in India, including my beloved wife Devleena,” he added in the interview.

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He also talked about how he enjoys officiating and added that every referee must be a practitioner of the sport.

“I believe that every referee must be a practitioner of the sport that they officiate, and I feel that every referee should have the ability to keep their nerves under control, be able to make good quick decisions, have a keen eye and ear for detail and obviously know the rules of the sport like the back of their hand,” he noted.

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