Yogesh Jadhav is an Indian fitness trainer and a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter who has participated in and won many MMA championships in India. In October 2022, he appeared as a contestant in the Marathi reality TV show titled Bigg Boss.
Wiki/Biography
Yogesh Manoj Jadhav was born on Sunday, 3 December 1995 (age 27 years; as of 2022) in Akluj, Solapur district, Maharashtra, India. Yogesh Jadhav completed his school studies in Akluj at The Model Multi Purpose High School and Sadashivrao Mane Vidyalaya in 2011.
Physical Appearance
Height: 7′ 1″
Weight: 105 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 48″, Waist:32″, Biceps: 15″
Family
Yogesh Jadhav belongs to a Marathi family.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Manoj Jadhav. His mother, Surekha Jadhav, is a homemaker.
A photograph of Yogesh Jadhav with his mother Surekha
Religion
Yogesh Jadhav follows Hinduism.
Mixed Martial Arts
Yogesh Jadhav’s affiliation with martial arts began at an early age when he started taking Karate classes. During an interview, Yogesh said that his interest in martial arts arose because of his uncle, who was a professional wrestler and had participated in and won several accolades in many wrestling competitions in Maharashtra. In 2011, after completing his schooling in Solapur, Yogesh Jadhav shifted to Pune to pursue a career in MMA. There, he joined the Dragon MMA Gym and began learning new Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) techniques. Talking about him leaving his hometown, Yogesh said,
I belong to a very small village in Maharashtra where people had never ever heard of anything like MMA. So, to pursue a career in MMA I left my village to earn some money and therefore, I came to Pune, where I joined Dragon MMA gym and began learning new ways in the manner in which I could make myself better.”
After turning 18 in 2013, Yogesh Jadhav began working as a bouncer in several Pune-based clubs and pubs. In 2015, he participated in and won gold medal at the National MMA Championship.
Yogesh Jadhav’s photograph with his gold medal that he won at the National MMA Championship
In 2017, Yogesh Jadhav took part in and won the MMA championship “Full Contact Championship (FCC).”
Yogesh Jadhav’s photo taken during his participation in the Full Contact Championship (FCC)
In 2019, Yogesh Jadhav participated in the Bodypower India Open Mixed Martial Arts Championship in which he emerged victorious.
Yogesh Jadhav’s photo taken after he won the Bodypower India Open MMA Championship
In 2020, he won the Fight Of Knights (FOK), an MMA tournament, by defeating Arpitam Sarkar.
Yogesh Jadhav’s photo taken after his victory at the Fight Of Knights (FOK)
In 2021, he took part in and represented Maharashtra at the National Kickboxing Championship, which was organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Yogesh Jadhav after winning the National Kickboxing Championship in Rajasthan
In the same year, he participated in and won the Super Fitness MMA Pro Fight Championship.
A poster of Super Fitness MMA Pro Fight Championship
In 2022, during an interview, Yogesh Jadhav told the media that he wanted to represent India in Target UFC 300. Talking about it, he said,
I want to represent my mother nation India at UFC 300 and I promise that I will keep on improving myself throughout my journey as a MMA fighter. The project is currently in place at my gym Dragon MMA gym.”
Roadies
In 2016, Yogesh Jadhav was seen as a participant in the MTV reality TV show titled Roadies X4: Your Gang, Your Glory, where he was in the team of the well-known Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar.
Yogesh Jadhav while performing a task on Roadies X4
Bigg Boss Marathi
On 2 October 2022, Yogesh Jadhav contested in the 4th season of the Marathi reality TV show Bigg Boss. The show was aired on the Marathi entertainment channel Colors Marathi. Talking about his participation in Bigg Boss, he said,
When I told my friends about me joining the show, they were scared and told me not to break anything if I lose my temper in the show. It will be a bit difficult to live without friends, family and mobile phone, but it is not something that you cannot get adjusted to. I hope I will get a shot at movies after my participation in the show.”
Bigg Boss Marathi’s poster with Yogesh Jadhav’s photo on it
Yogesh Jadhav on the sets of Bigg Boss Marathi
Favourites
- Basketball player: Kobe Bryant
- Quote: “I Hated Every Minute Of Training, But I Said, Don’t Quit.”
Facts/Trivia
- Yogesh Jadhav is also known by his nicknames Yogi and RD. He is also called a Gentle Giant by the media because of his tall stature.
- In 2016, Yogesh Jadhav was drafted into the Bangalore Warhawks, a professional American soccer team, and participated in the 6th American National American Football Championship, where his team, under his captaincy, won the tournament, which was organised in Hyderabad, India.
A photo of Yogesh Jadhav during his participation in American Football in 2016
- In 2019, out of 1,50,000 applicants, Yogesh Jadhav was among the 80 candidates who were shortlisted by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
- On his forearms, Yogesh Jadhav has inked a tattoo of a lotus and a tattoo of his mother’s name, which is surrounded by a tattoo of angel wings. He also has a geometric tattoo on one of his legs.
A collage of the tattoos on Yogesh Jadhav’s forearms and one of the legs
- In 2021, Yogesh Jadhav appeared in the advertisement for UrbanClap.
A still from Yogesh Jadhav’s UrbanClap ad
- In the same year, Yogesh Jadhav was felicitated by Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, the Governor of Maharashtra, for his achievements.
Yogesh Jadhav’s photo taken during his felicitation in Mumbai
- He has also worked as a wrestling trainer at Cult The Work Out Station in Pune, Maharashtra.
- According to Yogesh Jadhav, he is trained in different types of martial arts like kickboxing, boxing, karate, and jiu-jitsu.
- While giving an interview, Yogesh Jadhav said that after he moved to Pune, in 2011, he met with an accident as a result of which he almost had his carrier destroyed as it took him a lot of time to heal from his injuries. Talking about the injuries that he received, Yogesh said,
It was a really very sad and depressing phase for me as I had been into an action which resulted in me being out of action for a long time. I was really depressed and I hope no one else has to go through it. I had more than 70 stitches on my jaw and my face and I still have difficulty in speaking fluently because of it. I somehow came over it, my injuries, and I never gave up.”