Pakistan and India have suffered one of the planet’s most intractable conflicts, with four wars and countless incidents and skirmishes since WWII. Sports diplomacy provided a huge breakthrough when in 2004 India’s cricket team went on a tour of Pakistan. Then began a series of reciprocal Test series, that abruptly halted following the 2008 attacks in Mumbai. No home Test match series has taken place between the two countries since.
However, in 2016 at World Series of Fighting Global Championship 3 in the Philippines, Team Fight Fortress star Uloomi Karim defeated India’s Yadwinder Singh, and fighters then each lofted the flag of the other.
“Peace won that day,” said Karim.
At Brave 17 in Lahore, the first international MMA event in Pakistan, Mehmosh Raza set the promotion record for the fastest finish and then sent a strong message to the Indian MMA community.
“Islam is about love, it’s about peace,” Raza said to the adoring crowd. “That is what we are here for – to spread the love, and to spread the peace.”
Then Mehmosh Raza told the crowd, and Brave management, exactly what he wants – “Give me an Indian fight. Pakistan versus India. Who wants to see that!?”
Mehmosh Reza – Brave 17 Post- Fight Interview
“STAND UP LAHORE!” Mehmosh Raza cage interview was as excited as his fight! #BraveCF17
Posted by BRAVE Combat Federation on Saturday, November 3, 2018
Indian MMA fighter Mohammed Farhad, who has three fights in the Brave cage, accepted the challenge.
Do you all want India vs Pakistan?” he posted on his social network. “I am in for the challenge.
Brave president Mohammed ‘The Hawk’ Shahid appears amenable to the idea, and is doubtless determining an appropriate neutral ground for the fight. Given that Brave is the sport’s only truly global MMA organization, and hit twelve countries last year, finding an appropriate nation to host the event should be a natural.
And when the fight does happen, win, lose, or draw, expect to see the fighters embrace as brothers after the fight, and in so doing, begin to draw their countries together along with them.
