“Tf is Salman Khan doing there?” – Fight fans in shock as Bollywood superstar gets featured on same fight card as Luke Rockhold
Luke Rockhold vs. Joe Schilling is booked for Karate Combat 45. The poster of the event surprised the everyone with the appearance of Salman Khan.

Karate Combat announces Luke Rockhold vs. Joe Schilling with a poster features Georges St-Pierre and Salman Khan (Via Imago/Instagram)
After a year, former UFC champion Luke Rockhold returns to action this April. He will make his ‘Karate Combat’ debut against the credited kickboxer Joe Schilling. Announcing the news, the event poster shocked the fans. It featured MMA royalty Georges St-Pierre and Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.
Luke Rockhold faces Joe Schilling in the main event of Karate Combat 45 in Dubai. The event occurs on April 20, just a week after the historic UFC 300. Given the kickboxing and Muay Thai accolades of Schilling, this fight posed Rockhold with a serious test. Especially when he hasn’t won a fight in the last five years. However, his opponent had a similar track record, as the 40-year-old hasn’t competed since 2019.

The former UFC champion last competed in the MMA promotion in 2022 against Paulo Costa. After a blood-driven fight, he lost on the judges’ scorecards and announced his retirement. He then tried his luck at Bare Knuckle Fighting against Mike Perry at BKFC 41. He lost that one as well. As such, Luke Rockhold would be motivated to secure a win against Joe Schilling.
Schilling also has some MMA experience with a mediocre pro record of 4-6. Although it couldn’t be compared to the UFC champion’s record of 16-6, Schilling made it up with his kickboxing and Muay-Thai accomplishments. As such, this fight remained an exciting one. Moreover, the poster featuring Georges St-Pierre and Salman Khan intrigued the fans of what it was about.
Fans react to Luke Rockhold’s comeback fight poster featuring Salman Khan
Salman Khan’s picture in the poster of Karate Combat 45 had the fight fans in a frenzy. The poster also featured Georges St-Pierre and Logan Paul’s friend Mike Majlak. Since GSP had earlier made his appearances at Karate Combat events and even shared a seat at the broadcast table, the focus of curiosity remained with Khan. It turns out that a Bollywood star would attend the event.

Earlier, Salman Khan made his appearance at the mega event of Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia. As such, he is very much involved in the fighting world. His movie Sultan even featured the former champion Tyron Woodley in a prominent role. Nonetheless, the fans were surprised to see him in the same poster as Luke Rockhold and GSP. Here are some interesting fan reactions:
Fight fans were perplexed by Salman Khan’s appearance on the poster. They also remained confused about George St-Pierre’s appearance as well. While ‘Rush’ might act as a broadcast personnel, Khan might just be a celebrity spectator. Also, reports suggested Karate Combat 45 featured some Indians, which might’ve sparked interest in Khan.
In case you missed it:
- Jake Paul jibes at Canelo Alvarez, Gervonta Davis, and Conor McGregor and claims title ‘face of boxing and MMA’
- Not Khabib, not Islam Makhachev! Coach Javier Mendez names THIS Bellator fighter as the most-talented athlete