Thursday Nov 12, 2026
Thursday Nov 12, 2026
Monday, 5 October 2026 02:33 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
India’s Fahad Zedan celebrates his championship win at KFL 9 held on 12 September at Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre
Karma Fight League (KFL), Sri Lanka’s largest combat sports property, is taking its business beyond the island. The league will roll out Road to KFL (RKFL), its amateur qualifying series, in India, Pakistan and Nepal in November and December 2026.
The expansion follows nine successful events in Colombo, the latest being KFL 9 on 12 September, at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre (SLECC). All nine bouts on the card were international match-ups, featuring athletes from Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Nepal, including two women’s contests. Over 3,000 fans attended live, while hundreds of thousands more followed the event digitally.
In the main event, India’s Fahad Zedan defeated Sri Lanka’s Januka Ranaweera to become the KFL World Light Welterweight Champion. He is the league’s third title holder, after Sri Lanka’s Kavindu Rasanjaya and India’s Sonam Zomba, who is ranked South Asia’s number one female fighter.
Karma Fight League Chairman Raveen Wickramasinghe said: “KFL’s future is regional. Road to KFL takes us into India, Pakistan and Nepal, and from there we build a South Asian combat sports platform that the world pays attention to.”
Corporate backing has followed. Ruhunu Hospital, the largest private healthcare provider in the Southern Province, was title sponsor of KFL 9 under a multi-event partnership that also covers athlete medical support and event safety.
Ruhunu Hospital Assistant Medical Director Dr. Hasara Kulatunga said: “Ruhunu Hospital has built its reputation on clinical standards, and we believe those standards belong in sport too. Working with KFL allows us to contribute to the development of combat sports in Sri Lanka and to give athletes a professional environment with the right medical cover. As the league takes its qualifiers across South Asia, we look forward to seeing more athletes benefit.”
KFL 9 was endorsed by Sri Lanka Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism, reflecting the country’s push to position itself as a regional destination for sport and entertainment. Events of this scale bring athletes, officials and supporters from neighbouring countries to Colombo.
KFL is planning a larger KFL 10 and further expansion in 2027.
