Twenty Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters from the Enbo Fight Club in Sichuan province is set to form the Plateau Resistance Tibetan Mastiffs, with the border militia ranks, reports China's state broadcaster CCTV.
The group will be based in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet's autonomous region. This club is known for giving such fighters as outputs who go on to compete at an international level. They also take part in competitions like the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
But, there has been no official reason why such a decision was taken. According to a 1996 agreement, neither India nor the China sides are allowed to carry guns or explosives in the area, reported Express. This came at a time of rising tensions between China and India over the contested Himalayan border. For a few weeks, the world witnessed deadly clashes between the two countries.
Galwan Clash
At the border area's Galwan, soldiers from both the countries reportedly engaged in hours of hand-to-hand combat, with at least 20 Indian soldiers killed, making the first fatalities of clashes in almost half a century.
Both the nuclear powers have exchanged blame over the incident in the Galwan river valley in Ladakh in mid-June. This high-altitude terrain area has a harsh climatic condition and is close to the disputed area Aksai Chin that's claimed by India, controlled by China.
Long-Standing Conflict
Tensions between India and China are long-standing over its poorly demarcated border -- the Line of Actual Control (LAC). A Tencent News report said that it was not clear if these Tibetan Mastiffs would be deployed to the border of conflict. However, this mission is sure to help border patrol troops and the special forces in hand-to-hand combat training.
"If the country needs us, the Enbo Fight Club will wholeheartedly complete more challenging tasks. As for whether (our fighters) took part in the conflict a few days ago, don't ask me, I didn't ask," En Bo, club owner said. Other recruits included those specialized in communications technology, mountaineering and mining, PLA Daily reported. They will report to the People's Liberation Army's Western Theatre Command.
One MMA fighter, Xu Xiaodong had gained attention, back in 2017 for beating a tai chi master in 20 seconds. He claims that he was "number one in cracking down on fakes," as he referred to those who exaggerated Chinese kung fu for commercial gain as fakes. He supported the anti-government protests of Hong Kong and attracted controversial views on him.
