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Dear Reader,

You. Yes, you. The very special person holding this book.
First off—THANK YOU! Books are a reality because of readers,
because of wanting to get lost in a story, because it creates a
bond that allows us to share this experience together over a
bridge of time.
I want to remind you that The Knockout is a work of fiction.
Most of the characters are based on real people (yay for my
high school peeps!), and many of the situations and emotions
are rooted from personal experiences. This story most certainly
stems from my perspective growing up disconnected from my
Indian heritage, on the outskirts of an Indian community,
raised in the South and as a mixed martial artist in high school
exposed to female Muay Thai fighters in college. However, this
book does not represent the entire Indian culture/community/
diaspora and in no way attempts to. Also, please note that
fictional liberties were taken with some aspects of USMTO
and IFMA. I hope to have portrayed the Art of Eight Limbs
to the best of my ability and with respect. Any errors were
unintentional.
Would you like to know the story behind the story? Aside
from The Knockout being based on real events and people, it’s
the book that saved me. Several years ago, something seemingly
minor and accidental happened (just like the situation with
Saanvi and Rayna). It shouldn’t have mattered much, but it
did. I’d stopped writing then. I went into a depression for ten
months and no matter how much I tried to write I couldn’t
string one sentence. I’d given up on many things and battled
some very dark thoughts. It just happened that my brother was
getting married and I went along on a family trip to Dubai and
India to shop for the wedding events. I spent three weeks with