A Black Belt in martial arts, Prateek began training at an early age out of enthusiasm and continues to learn even today. Driven by his passion, he started his own institute to teach and promote Muay Thai and had engaged in around 50 fights, 40 of which were amateur fights involving Kickboxing and Taekwondo bouts.A Black Belt in martial arts, Prateek began training at an early age out of enthusiasm and continues to learn even today. Driven by his passion, he started his own institute to teach and promote Muay Thai and had engaged in around 50 fights, 40 of which were amateur fights involving Kickboxing and Taekwondo bouts.

Muay Thai fighter, Dr. Prateek Vats, is the owner of the Vajra Martial Arts Academy in Ghaziabad. He is also a licensed paramedic and physiotherapist. He has been practising martial arts for 28 years, and these days he is mostly focused on teaching and self-training. He has spent the last five years fighting in bouts professionally, which requires a lot more hard work and effort. He began at the age of 6 and started Muay Thai at the age of 30. He has since competed in 11 professional fights in Thailand, winning ten while losing one.

Dr. Prateek points out that mixed martial arts (MMA) fights like wrestling are far more common in India. His goal is to raise awareness of Muay Thai art, which he refers to as the ‘art of eight limbs’ since it involves the simultaneous use of fists, elbows, knees, and shins for both striking and defending.

In 2021, he established Vajra Martial Arts Academy, an institution he uses to promote the knowledge of Muay Thai throughout India and his own city of Ghaziabad. He believes that everyone can learn and practise martial arts at any age, and that women in particular should do so to empower themselves and be able to defend themselves and their loved ones. He suggests that martial arts be taught as a special subject to female students in schools and colleges. He argues that martial art should be embraced as a lifestyle and that one should connect spiritually to it, which will have a major impact on their lives.

The son of an Indian Air Force officer, Prateek learned to be disciplined from his father. He thinks that if you want to pursue any form of sport, discipline is essential. He has been reading and adhering to Bodhi Dharma's philosophy for the past several years. From his teachings, he has learned how to live in a calm state. The legendary Bruce Lee also had an impact on him.

Recalling his childhood, Prateek shares that he started training in martial arts at the age of six. When his father was posted to Pathankot Airbase in Punjab, he started learning Judo and Karate under his master and felt a connection with martial arts. However, due to his father's transfers, they had to move to a new city every four to five years, and he would have to learn from a new master. He began to learn Taekwondo and gave himself a challenge to become a Black Belt. He successfully achieved the title of black belt within five years. He shares that he could not get much exposure or facilities to participate in professional fights.

Thereafter, he began to connect spiritually to martial arts as he came into contact with the masters who preached the philosophy of Bodhi Dharma. He talks about Sailum, an ancient form of martial art that originated in Andhra Pradesh and in which one is trained physically, mentally, and spiritually. He trained for seven years in Sailum. Later, when he passed his 12th standard, his father got transferred to Gwalior, where he decided to focus on his studies. He chose to do a BPT (Bachelor of Physiotherapy) from Jiwaji University, Gwalior. He used to simultaneously manage his martial arts training and his studies.

After completing his BPT, he got the opportunity to work as an intern in Ghaziabad. He realised after working at the hospital for two years that physiotherapy wasn't his calling, so he chose to pursue martial arts instead. He made the decision to learn a lethal art form and pursue combat fighting. He quit his work at the hospital right away and travelled to Thailand to begin his Muay Thai training. It took him two years to train, as he was not able to get a visa for a long duration and had to come back again and again.

He believes you need to have a warrior attitude and persevere through all obstacles if you want to thrive in any field. A quote that reads, "Your actions speak louder than your words," also inspires him. He encourages everyone to keep proving themselves so that people may observe you and be inspired by you.

Speaking about the difficulties he encountered while pursuing martial arts, Prateek mentions that at first he was not in a stable financial condition. He also had to pay the participation fees for fighting in the arena and travel long distances to participate in tournaments.

Despite his late start, he had engaged in around 50 fights, 40 of which were amateur fights involving Kickboxing and Taekwondo bouts, and the rest were professional Muay Thai fights.

Advising the youngsters who want to pursue martial arts, Prateek urges them to train consistently and not give up. Grab every opportunity that comes your way and start fighting professionally as early as possible. Most importantly, do not compare yourself with others.