To the average person martial arts and combat sports are seen as a leisurely activity, but for others, it can be seen as a way out of extreme poverty and a way to make ends meet for themselves and their family.

The most notable example is Thailand, where street kids join Muay Thai gyms and are given the opportunity to train and fight for a living. And now it looks like another country is employing the same model except this time it’s with Mixed Martial Arts.

In Chengdu, China an MMA gym known as ‘Enbo MMA Club’ has been opened which specifically takes in orphan children and trains them in mixed martial arts, giving the children a chance to better their own lives. It’s reported that around 400 children train at the facility.

But the club has taken some heat over its hosting of fights between children who are fourteen years and even younger. But for the children, to them, it’s given them something to strive for and a way to make a living.

Fourteen-year-old Xiao Wu has been on the team for three years, after being sent to the club by his grandmother.

“Grandmother asked me ‘If I like martial arts?’ and I said ‘Yeah I like it’ so she brought me here. [My parents], they all passed away.”

In addition to trainers, the clubs staff also act as role models for these budding fighters, keeping them off the streets as beggars or even joining criminal gangs.

So where do these kids see themselves in the foreseeable future?

“To practice MMA and to win the golden belt of the UFC”

Check out the full segment below.

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Author: Nic is a designer and illustrator alongside being a martial arts enthusiast. You can find some of his pop culture illustrative work for purchase here.