India's Pro Panja League takes arm wrestling to world stage with UAE Cup

Pro Panja League, India’s premier professional Arm Wrestling tournament, is set to mark a significant moment in the league’s journey, making its international debut on April 19 at the India Club, who are also the venue partner for the tournament in Abu Dhabi.

The ‘Pro Panja UAE Cup’ is the first-ever occasion when the league is organizing an international event. The event will bring together some of India’s best arm wrestlers alongside the best arm wrestlers from around the world.

The event is sanctioned by the Dubai Sports Council and will technically be overlooked by the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation. Actor and co-Founder of the Pro Panja League, Parvinn Dabass and Bollywood star and President of the People’s Armwrestling Federation India, Preeti Jhangiani will be making a special appearance at the event, alongside Raz Khan, who is the representative for Pro Panja League in the UAE.

A total of five matches will be played at the event, with the huge India-Pakistan headline clash being between India’s Mazahir Saidu (110 kg), who is India’s Number 1 and also the captain of Kochi KD’s in the Pro Panja League, and Pakistan’s Omer Jamshaid (105 kg).

In the 90 kg category, Arjun Menon from India will take on Talal Ali from Bahrain, while another Indian, Umesh Kattuparambil (80 kg) will compete against Ameer Alturkumani (85 kg) from UAE. In the other three matches at the landmark event, Prasad Kanhangad (75 kg) of India will be pitted against UAE’s Rambo (80 kg),  while India’s Asker Ali (85 kg) will fight it out against Ali (90 kg).

Speaking about the international debut, Dabass said, "The Pro Panja UAE Cup is a natural progression in our vision to make arm wrestling a mainstream, globally recognized sport. The UAE has emerged as a hub for combat sports and we are thrilled to bring the energy and excitement of Pro Panja to such an enthusiastic audience and I thank our UAE partners especially India Club and Faisal Al Zaabi for their support.”

Sharing her enthusiasm for the same, Bollywood Star Jhanghiani added, “Having seen the Pro Panja League up close, I have to say it’s a superb mix of sports and entertainment and Bollywood masala, everyone who watches falls in love with Pro Panja and now I’m honoured to be meeting my UAE fans through this platform.”