“He made offensive remarks about Pakistan:” Shahzaib Rind on slapping Indian fighter

Pakistani mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Shahzaib Rind opened up about the altercation with his Indian opponent, Rana Singh, whom he slapped for making inappropriate remarks about Pakistan.

Rind earned a knockout victory over Singh in the first exchange of their Karate Combat match that took place on April 21 in Dubai.

Regarding the pre-fight scuffle, the accomplished fighter explained, "After the press conference, he (Rana Singh) made offensive remarks about Pakistan and verbally abused me. I got angry, and he pushed me. Then I slapped him to bring him to his senses."

Earlier, a video of the 25-year-old Rind slapping his Indian competitor during a press conference in Dubai went viral on social media.

After slapping his rival, he asked, "How was the slap bro?" 

Pakistan captain Shahzaib Rindh smashed a tight slap on India's Rana Singh ahead of their clash today in Karate Combat.

VC: Shahzaib Rindh #KarateCombat | #Pakistan | #ShahzaibRindh | #Dubai | #India pic.twitter.com/grBaCxemLm

— Khel Shel (@khelshel) April 19, 2024

Discussing his victory over the highly-regarded Singh, Rind emphasised his dedication and training.

"I worked incredibly hard for this fight," he said while talking to a private news channel on Tuesday.

"I trained in the United States. While my opponent has a distinguished record, competing in the UFC and other major leagues, I remained confident in my abilities. I didn't feel pressured and gave it my all to outperform him," three-time Pakistan National Wushu Champion added.

Talking about his passion for martial arts, Shahzaib Rind revealed, "I started training at eight years old and was a national champion for eight years. I have represented Pakistan and achieved success at the South Asian Games, Asian Games, and West Asian Games." 

Highlighting the importance of competing in an American league, he said, "It is a huge opportunity, and I am the first Pakistani to ever participate in such a prestigious league."

The Karate team captain spoke about his post-fight gesture of raising Pakistani and Indian flags. 

"It was a message to my opponent, showing that we can respond to aggression with peace."

A video of Rind's victory speech went viral on social media, where he emphasised promoting peace between India and Pakistan and discouraging hostility between the two nations.

“This fight is for peace, we are not enemies,” he maintained.

Pakistani fighter Shahzaib Rind carries Pakistani and Indian flags, calls for peace b/w both countries 🇵🇰🇮🇳😭😭

He defeated Indian opponent and called him his brother. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was also present there, he thanked him too ❤️ @BeingSalmanKhan @RindhShahzaib pic.twitter.com/9nfpPyU0Ch

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) April 21, 2024