'Bangladesh is a country of warriors'

For decades, the rhythmic thud of leather on willow has monopolised the sporting soul of Bangladesh.

Yet, within the high-performance confines of Bashundhara Sports City, a calculated shift is underway to forge the South Asian nation into an international martial arts powerhouse, challenging the historic dominance of cricket and football.

At the absolute centre of this cultural revolution is Singaporean promoter and WBC Asia Ambassador Arvind Lalwani, who has partnered with Dhaka’s premier combat facility, the Zulcan Indoor Arena.

Together, they are engineering a rapid overhaul of the local sporting ecosystem, pivoting national attention toward boxing, Muay Thai, and mixed martial arts (MMA) through the Zulcan Fight Championship (ZFC).

The highly strategic venture bore its first major fruit last April, with the inaugural ZFC 1 event.

The night marked a historic domestic milestone when local fighter Rashid became the first Bangladeshi to capture a World Muay Thai Organisation Asia title, providing a nation of nearly 200m people with its first legitimate combat hero.

"We've seen a resurgence of combat sports," Arvind said, reflecting on the rapid impact of the promotion over the past year. "Other promotions are coming up, and people are understanding combat sports better as well, especially about boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA. ZFC 1 was our first step to start building heroes first, and I believe we are on the right path."

However, introducing three distinct combat disciplines simultaneously to a cricket-loving audience has come with structural challenges.

Arvind admitted that educating the public remains an ongoing process. "It'll take time to get a better understanding of it, especially the rule sets and stuff, because we came in with just a fresh aspect and just like, bang in your face. They need to know how to differentiate everything, so that's going to take a little bit of time, but we're planning to set it up better."

Organisers are now actively expanding their footprint with the upcoming ZFC 2, billed as the "Pride of Bangladesh."

The promotion aims to elevate domestic stars like Rashid, Sanjida Jannat, and Monjur Alam by matching them against an international roster imported from the United States, Pakistan, and across Asia.

Arvind has also teased an unprecedented surprise for the Dhaka crowd, though he declined to disclose specific details ahead of the event.

Yet, despite the glitz of international matchmaking, the Singaporean mastermind insists that the true engine of this movement lies deep within the country's grassroots level.

To bridge the gap between Dhaka’s premium facilities and the wider population, the promotion is launching the “Zulcan Beatdown” initiative, drawing amateur fighters both male and female from every corner of the country to compete in a safe, structured environment.

Arvind has also initiated vital structural meetings with the Bangladesh Boxing Federation to scout rural areas outside the capital, ensuring that financial barriers do not obstruct raw talent.

"I still believe Bangladesh is a country of warriors," Arvind stated, drawing a poignant parallel to his homeland. "From where I'm from, in Singapore, we need the Bangladeshi people to build... they basically built Singapore with the buildings and all. So they're a bunch of hard-working people. I see a lot of potential over here; it's like a hidden gem."

With a massive population base, Arvind believes it is only a matter of time before this newly engineered infrastructure yields an Olympic or world champion.

His personal ambitions, however, extend far beyond individual accolades, aiming to turn Dhaka into a global training destination.

"I'm never happy, never satisfied until I reach my goal," Arvind asserted. "I want to see people talk about Bangladesh being the next combat sports place to be at. World champions want to come here and train, and we are building a promotion which will be talked about by all the other world-class promotions. Once we hit that level, then I think I will be a little bit satisfied."