Sri Lankan fight promotion turns a homegrown fight night into a cross-border sports entertainment business

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^th 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.

"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," said Raveen Wickramasinghe, Chairman of Karma Fight League.

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 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," said Dr. Hasara Kulatunga, Assistant Medical Director, Ruhunu Hospital.

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.

About Karma Fight League: Karma Fight League (Pvt) Ltd is South Asia's largest K-1 fight night organisation. Events are sanctioned by the International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA). More information: www.karmafightleague.com

KFL 9 at SLECC, Colombo

Image Caption : India’s Fahad Zedan celebrates his championship win at KFL 9