Indian MMA

Hyderabad Dominates Bangalore In Historic IFL Preseason Clash

By LockerRoom Team May 28, 2026

The Indian Fight League (IFL) officially kicked off its highly anticipated preseason with a dominant performance from Hyderabad Fighters, who secured a commanding 16-3 victory over Bangalore Fighters in the opening matchup of the league.

The event marked the first-ever preseason clash in IFL history and featured multiple finishes across the card, showcasing the fast-rising talent pool in Indian mixed martial arts. Hyderabad delivered a statement performance with six finishes, including four submissions and one rare twister submission.

The prelims of the event were streamed live on the LockerRoom India YouTube channel, while the main card aired globally on UFC Fight Pass, giving Indian fighters a major international platform.

One of the standout performances came from Athul Hotkar, who secured a twister submission in Round 2, while Vikas Jaiswar and Hemant Wadekar both picked up armbar victories. Hansraj Samota added another submission win with a heel hook finish in the opening round.

Bangalore Fighters managed to secure only one victory on the night, as Bhupen Mutum earned a first-round TKO. However, Hyderabad continued to dominate the remaining contests to comfortably take the overall team victory.

The event also featured exhibition bouts and a few cancelled contests due to weigh-in issues and withdrawals.

Complete IFL Hyderabad vs Bangalore Results

Main Card Results

  • Sahil Boora def. Rajesh Pujari via Unanimous Decision (Round 3)
  • Athul Hotkar def. Vikas Sherawat via Twister Submission (Round 2)
  • Vikas Jaiswar def. Utpal Changmai via Armbar Submission (Round 2)
  • Hemant Wadekar def. Hitesh Kataria via Armbar Submission (Round 1)
  • Hansraj Samota def. Deepak Bhardwaj via Heel Hook Submission (Round 1)
  • Bhupen Mutum def. Laxman Govekar via TKO (Round 1)
  • Prashanth Guda def. Uchit Sharma via TKO (Round 1)

Exhibition Bouts

  • Rehan Lulla vs Satyajit Changmai ended as Exhibition Bout
  • Shankar Biswas vs Ritesh Singh ended as Exhibition Bout

Cancelled Bouts

  • Raju Kumar M vs Pankaj Mehra – Cancelled
  • Kishor Begur Kumar vs Ranjay Singh Rajput – Cancelled
  • Neeraj Panghal vs Pradeep Hooda – Cancelled

Laxman Govekar stepped in as a replacement for Punyajit Likharu following a medical withdrawal.