In a thrilling showdown at Karate Combat 45 in Dubai, Pakistan’s captain Shahzaib Rindh emerged victorious over India’s Rana Singh in the nail-biting finale of the 3 vs 3 team fight between the arch-rivals on Saturday.

The tension-filled battle came down to the wire after Pakistan’s Rizwan Ali defeated India’s Pawan Gupta in the opening round, while India’s Himanshu Kaushik bounced back by defeating Faizan Khan in the second round, leveling the scores at 1-1.

The event kicked off with Rizwan Ali dominating his match against India’s Pawan Gupta, knocking him out in the first round to give Pakistan an early lead.

India’s Himanshu Kaushik then faced Faizan Khan in the second round. Although Faizan replaced Uloomi Karim, who missed weight by five kilos, India managed to equalize the score at 1-1.

The decider round saw Pakistan’s captain Shahzaib Rindh taking on India’s Rana Singh. Rindh’s aggressive start and relentless attacks kept Singh on the back foot, ultimately leading to Rindh securing a technical knockout victory.

In a gesture of sportsmanship and peace, Rindh entered the ring holding both Pakistani and Indian flags, emphasizing unity between the two nations.

“This fight was for peace. We are not enemies, we are together,” Rindh expressed post-match.

With this win, Rindh maintains his unbeaten Karate Combat record at 5-0. Earlier in February, he set a record for the fastest knockout at Karate Combat 44 in Mexico City, defeating Marco Cubas of Peru in just 21 seconds.

Before the match, a viral video showed Rindh slapping Rana during a press conference on Friday, adding fuel to the rivalry. Reflecting on the incident, Rindh humorously remarked, “How was the slap bro?”