Whenever Nepali and Indian fighters share a cage, the atmosphere changes. The crowd gets louder. The fighters get more determined. And the second edition of the Elite Contender Series (ECS), an MMA promotion for amateur fighters, in Kolkata on June 27, is expected to be no different.

Four Nepali fighters are in India’s City of Joy, hoping to spoil the party in the neighbourhood once again.

Three fighters out of Lock n Roll MMA—Asbeen Chhetri, Gokul Khadka and Nabaraj Parajuli—and one fighter, Sunil Pun, out of Pokhara, are fighting in their respective bouts at Biswa Bangla Exhibition Centre in New Town, Kolkata.

It will be a return to the ECS cage for Khadka and Parajuli, who had participated in the first edition of the promotion in March. The first edition also saw Nepali fighter Samar Aryal in the main event against Balaji MK.

At first, Pun was scheduled to face Balaji in the first edition’s main event. “He [Pun] got injured while training in jiu-jutsu and had to be replaced by Samar,” Peeyush Pandey, founder of ECS, had said in a video interview with LockerRoom India on YouTube in March.

Meanwhile, the results did not elate Nepali fighters in the first edition. While Khadka’s fight with Navneet Brijwal ended in a draw, the main event between Aryal and Balaji ended as a “no contest”. Parauli, meanwhile, had defeated Devgun Marandi by a TKO in the second round.

And it is Marandi who is featuring in the co-main event of the ECS II against Nepal’s Pun. The match will be a bit more important for Pun at a personal level, as he had missed the chance to fight at the main event of ECS I.

“My opponent is from Nepal. He is a good fighter and I respect him,” Marandi said in a video posted by the ECS. “Sunil, this message is for you. Be prepared…I am here to smash you.”

Pun replied in a similarly harsh tone.

“He says he will smash me,” Pun said in his video. “But before that, I will knock him out.”

Similarly, Chhetri is facing Indresh Uniyal, and Khadka is facing Roshan.

There will be 50 fights in ECS II, and the organisers have planned a two-cage setup for the event. Parajuli’s opponent is yet to be revealed by the ECS.

Nepali fighters have already reached Kolkata. The weigh-ins took place on Friday, and the fights will begin at Biswa Bangla Exhibition Centre on Saturday.