Hrishikesh Koloth was an MMA fighter

A 27-year-old Indian-origin mixed martial arts (MMA) trainee killed in a rare bear attack in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, has been identified as Hrishikesh Koloth, a fighter who dreamed of competing in the UFC, according to his family.Hrishikesh Koloth died on May 8 while working at a uranium exploration site near Nordby Lake, about 850 kilometers northeast of Saskatoon. He was employed as a contractor technician at the Zoo Bay property operated by Vancouver-based UraniumX Discovery Corp.According to CBC News, he was from Kerala, India and moved to Canada three years ago and was living with his elder brother in Penticton, British Columbia. He had trained in MMA for over a decade, first in India and later in Canada, and was preparing to pursue a professional fighting career.His brother Arjun Koloth said that Hrishikesh’s lifelong ambition was to fight professionally.Arjun said, “It was his dream. That’s why he came here.” “He wanted to fight in the UFC.”He trained at Skowden Martial Arts in Penticton, where his instructors had high expectations for his future. Arjun said he was scheduled to start working as a boxing coach in Vancouver in June.Arjun said, “A job is only a means to an end.” “In the end we had to fight.”Arjun said that Hrishikesh was fearless and committed towards his goals. “He’s not afraid of anything,” he said.Arjun said, “Two days’ notice before the fight? Doesn’t matter. Is the opponent heavier than him? Doesn’t matter. Win or lose, he just wanted to fight.”Arjun remembered receiving the devastating news early in the morning.“An RCMP came and knocked on my door and told me your brother has passed away in Saskatchewan,” he said.After the attack, a civilian present at the scene shot and killed the bear. The animal was later sent for post-mortem.Hrishikesh’s brother is now in Kerala for the last rites and said he wants his brother to be remembered for what he was: “I want him to be remembered for what he did. The innocent heart, the soul of the fighter. The warrior.” And let me just say that he struggled [the] Bear. That’s all…the bear did not attack him. He attacked the bear.”This case is considered extremely rare. This is only the fourth fatal bear attack in Saskatchewan’s recorded history. The last such incident occurred in 2020, when 44-year-old Stephanie Blais was murdered near her family cabin north of Buffalo Narrows.