Kathmandu, June 30 -- Ajay Joshi's story begins in Lagankhel, Lalitpur, with no indication it would someday lead to international championships and a life influenced by combat sports. Growing up in a middle-class family as the eldest of three siblings, he experienced the loss of his mother nearly thirty years ago due to diabetes, while his father managed a business to support the family. Now married and a father to a 10-year-old son, Joshi's life has taken a different path from that of many of his peers. His journey did not commence inside a ring but started behind a camera.

Joshi worked as a photojournalist before lacing up gloves or stepping onto the mat. Starting in 2007, "I covered political events like mass movements for publication...