Indian MMA

WDS Rising Star 7: Tournament winners emerge after action-packed night

By LockerRoom Team August 7, 2026

WDS Rising Star 7 showcased India's next generation of mixed martial arts talent as fighters battled for tournament honors on the road to WDS Fight Night in an event streamed live on the LockerRoom India YouTube channel. The event also crowned champions across multiple amateur and semi-professional divisions.

In the amateur MMA finals, Abhijeet Singh Saini captured the bantamweight tournament title with a unanimous decision over Bhupat Rajak, Giftson Awungshi finished runner-up in the flyweight final after losing a split decision to Tijji Rajak, while Biru Oli claimed the featherweight championship with a split-decision victory over Rishu Tiwari.

The semi-pro portion of the card featured several impressive finishes. Vishal Shetty submitted Sameer with an anaconda choke in just 44 seconds of the opening round, Ashish Maurya stopped Rajkrishna Sharma via third-round corner stoppage in the bantamweight division, and Bhuvan R submitted Vijay Yadav with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their flyweight bout. Pruthvi Gulla also earned a unanimous decision over Aditya Dalvi in the lightweight contest.

With WDS Rising Star 7 serving as a proving ground for emerging athletes, the event highlighted a mix of technical performances, submissions and stoppages as competitors looked to strengthen their credentials ahead of future opportunities under the WDS banner.

Tournament Winners

Amateur MMA Champions

  • Flyweight: Tijji Rajak def. Giftson Awungshi (Split Decision)
  • Bantamweight: Abhijeet Singh Saini def. Bhupat Rajak (Unanimous Decision)
  • Featherweight: Biru Oli def. Rishu Tiwari (Split Decision)

Semi-Pro MMA Winners

  • Strawweight: Narayan Tejbeer Pun def. Ritesh Kanojiya (Unanimous Decision)
  • Bantamweight: Vishal Shetty def Sameer Khan (Submission – Anaconda Choke, Round 1, 0:44)
  • Middleweight: Avaneesh Kailash Patil def Vishal (Unanimous Decision)
  • Bantamweight: Ashish Maurya def. Rajkrishna Sharma (TKO – Corner Stoppage, Round 3)
  • Flyweight: Bhuvan R def. Vijay Yadav (Submission – Rear-Naked Choke, Round 2)
  • Lightweight: Pruthvi Gulla def. Aditya Dalvi (Unanimous Decision)
  • Flyweight: Shrishti Dethe def. Parth Sapkal (Unanimous Decision)