By Daniel Wilson

March 28, 2025

Aranjot Kaur has always been a fighter.

An accomplished mixed martial arts (MMA) athlete in India with a 3-0 record and national championship, Kaur began training at 14. She attributes much of her success to her mother, a fashion designer, who raised her mostly as a single parent and instilled a culture of hard work and independence.

It’s no surprise, then, how Kaur found her way to Sac State. In 2023, while looking for a college in the US, where MMA is a more developed sport than in India, she came across a post on UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber’s Instagram featuring amateur boxer and then-new Sac State President Luke Wood.

Kaur took the initiative and reached out to Wood. The conversations that followed ultimately led to Combat U, a partnership between the University and local gyms including Faber’s Ultimate Fitness, located about a mile from campus.

“Sac State was the only university I applied to, because of Urijah Faber, and I got in,” said Kaur, a second-year Business Administration student whose goals include designing gear for combat sports competitors and expanding Aranick, the fashion brand she runs with her mother.

In both perception and reality, combat sports can be male-dominated. But Kaur and a passionate group of Combat U women are working to change that – and paving the way for the next generation of female fighters.

Combat U – officially Combat Sports and Martial Arts University – launched in fall 2024 as a first-of-its-kind program spanning several student sports clubs, including wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu.

The program is open to all students regardless of experience level, allowing student-athletes to train with and learn from experienced professionals like Faber, while providing a pathway to higher education for students from traditionally underserved backgrounds.

Kaur is recognized as Combat U’s student-founder and serves as president of Combat U MMA and jiu-jitsu. In that role, she works to recruit more students, especially women.

“I think even though we are excelling, especially in MMA or combat sports, we are also fighting the notions and perspectives of society that want to define what being a woman is.” -- Aranjot Kaur

Of the program’s approximately 600 participants, about 50 are women, meaning they’re often training with their male counterparts. And though the gender imbalance can be intimidating, Kaur said, Combat U’s coaching staff and other participants work to ensure an inclusive environment.

“There's no day I can tell you that I feel out of place,” said Kaur, who is working toward her US competition debut. “There's no discrimination from the coach's perspective. Even the men on the mat, they are welcoming to you. They respect you for who you are.”

Combat U offers opportunities beyond athletic competition. The program provides critical financial support to students pursuing their degrees, including Kaur, who is attending Sac State on a full scholarship.

“I believe that I don't take no’s. I find a pathway to a yes,” said Kaur. “I believed in me, that I am capable of doing something for myself.”

Women’s wrestling wins national championships

When it comes to earning trophies, the women of Combat U are at the vanguard. Sac State recently celebrated its first national championships in wrestling history when Miyuki Pugrad and Sabrina Cunha brought home top honors at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association's Championships in Louisiana.

Pugrad, a graduate student in Child Development, wrestled in high school but took a four-year break from the mat while completing her undergraduate degree. Combat U inspired her to return.

She is writing her thesis on adolescent wrestling and how it could be a safer space for girls. A major issue, she said, is normalized language and the culture of potentially derogatory feelings toward women in sports.

“Men need to keep other men accountable in the room,” said Pugrad, who also recently won a state championship.

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With women’s wrestling being one of the fastest growing collegiate sports in the US, the experiences of women participants have been critical, added Cunha, a Kinesiology major and amateur MMA competitor.

"Women in wrestling kind of saved wrestling,” she said. “Wrestling was very much dying until girls started wrestling in high school."

Both women agreed that the experience in Combat U has been much more positive.

“I really enjoy Combat U,” said Cunha. “The environment as a woman is very welcoming. The teammates are very supportive, the coaches are very supportive.”

Pugrad said she has also learned to not put as much pressure on herself as she did in high school and to just enjoy wrestling.

“I just wanted to do it for fun because I was mending that area in my life,” she said. “I didn't want to leave wrestling feeling discouraged because it has helped me in so many other areas of my life.”

Boxing on the rise

Wrestling isn’t the only discipline in which the women of Combat U are blazing a trail. In 2024, Ayahna Gonzales, a first-year Biomedical Science major who plans to attend medical school, became the first women's boxer to win a match in Sac State history during her amateur debut.

"It's definitely a big weight to carry," said Gonzales, who went on to win at the inaugural Causeway Boxing Classic later that year. “It wasn’t until I had other people bring it to my attention that I realized the real gravity of it.”

Combat U revived boxing at Sac State, which had been without a presence in the sport since the 1950s and 60s, a time when there were no women boxers.

“I do definitely think women’s sports are getting more attention,” Gonzales said. “People are finding a different kind of perspective and joy of watching them. I just think it's important, regardless of gender, being recognized for your skill and your profession.”

For Gonzales, boxing – and Combat U – is a family affair. Her mother, Janelle, coaches and manages the team and co-owns Combat U partner gym Flawless Boxing & Fitness with Ayahna’s father Brandon, a professional boxer and Combat U’s head boxing coach.

Creating equal opportunity has been an important part of Combat U’s success, Janelle Gonzales said.

"Not letting it be a completely male-dominated space is a big deal,” Janelle Gonzales said. “I like that Sac State has kind of provided this platform for women to actually come and do a combat sport.”

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The future of women in Combat U

Reflecting on Combat U’s first year, program Director and professional MMA fighter Hector Fajardo highlighted the accomplishments of the women competitors.

"It's been a very successful year, and it's great to see that the female students are actually bringing home a majority of the (championships)," he said.

Fajardo emphasized that Combat U is about more than just athletic achievement.

“Some of our most successful athletes in the program are women,” he said. “It makes me happy that all of them have their academics in line as well.”

With Combat U still in its infancy, its coaches aim to make combat sports more accessible to all students.

"You can come and train because you want to learn the skill, or maybe even get in shape," said Janelle Gonzales. "Just being a Sac State student, you get the opportunity to learn and train in any of these disciplines."

Despite the progress, the students acknowledge ongoing challenges.

“I think even though we are excelling, especially in MMA or combat sports, we are also fighting the notions and perspectives of society that want to define what being a woman is,” said Kaur.

Still, she remains optimistic.

“Women are stepping up,” Kaur said. “They're showing that, ‘No, I am who I am, don't tell me what to do.’ They're making decisions for themselves.”

To stay up-to-date on Sac State’s combat sports events, follow Combat U on Instagram or visit Hornet Sports.