The MMA phenom

In a display of dominance that transcends sport, Pakistan's undefeated mixed martial arts phenom Rizwan Ali extended his professional record to 11-0 with a first-round victory over India's Rana Rudra Pratap Singh. The bout at the Absolute Championship Akhmat in Dubai was more than a personal triumph for Rizwan, as the Indian fighter appeared to be following the lead of other Indian athletes in refusing to shake hands with a Pakistani rival.

But unlike the embarrassing losing performances of the Pakistani men's and women's cricket teams, Rizwan was dominant, and after winning, set an example of sportsmanship for Indian athletes by embracing his opponent. While Indian athletes went out of their way to strip chivalry and sportsmanship from the 'gentlemen's game', Rizwan brought them front and centre in a bloodsport. What made it even more stark was that going into the fight, Rizwan's comments made it appear that he was going to be less than the ideal role model on the sportsmanship front, but in retrospect, it appears his mocking of his opponent's chances was mostly gamesmanship. Incidentally, Rizwan also dedicated his win to Pakistan's military, in what may have been the most direct attack on statements by Indian cricketers— and Prime Minister Narendra Modi - that honoured India's military for their work during the recent cross-border conflict, which saw half a dozen Indian fighter jets being shot down.

But to return focus on the sport, rather than the politics surrounding it, Rizwan, who now boasts a perfect record in his first 11 fights, is on track to become an international star if he can keep this up. And yes, much like javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, almost every bit of the success he achieves is from his own talent and hard work - government support for mixed martial arts is non-existent. However, we as Pakistanis still have every right to smile about the successes of our countryman, and to relish the guilty pleasure of watching him beat the living daylights out of someone who refused to shake his hand.