Maliha Ali Wins Medal at MMA World Championship

After suffering a controversial semifinal defeat against Russia's Polina Baldina, pakistan's Maliha Ali has won a bronze medal at the IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Key points

• While the third offered Baldina a 29-28 win, one awarded Baldina a 30-27 victory, another scored the fight 29-28 in Maliha's favor.
• Maliha's twin sister, Manesha Ali, additionally suffered a narrow split-decision defeat against Poland's Martyna Caruk in the lightweight (70.3kg) quarterfinals.
• Pakistan's Maliha Ali Stuns Two-Time European Champion at MMA World Championships.
• Pakistan MMA Federation President Omar Ahmed criticized the decision, saying Maliha had clearly won the fight and claiming Pakistan had been robbed of victory.
• The federation additionally highlighted that Pakistan had suffered a similar split-decision semifinal defeat at last year's championships.

For context, the Pakistan MMA Federation has filed a formal appeal over the split-decision loss in the featherweight (65.8kg) category, raising reservations concerning inconsistencies in the judges' scoring. Pakistan's Maliha Ali Stuns Two-Time European Champion at MMA World Championships.

Meanwhile, the semifinal was closely contested, with neither fighter clearly dominating any round. While the first and third remained competitive, baldina appeared to have an advantage in the second round. Maliha landed cleaner strikes in the final round and raised her arms at the final bell, believing she had won.

Nevertheless, the judges delivered conflicting scorecards. While the third offered Baldina a 29-28 win, one awarded Baldina a 30-27 victory, another scored the fight 29-28 in Maliha's favor.

After the defeat, the federation submitted a formal appeal to the head of the IMMAF Refereeing and Judging Commission, seeking a round-by-round scoring breakdown, an explanation for the differences in the scorecards, and a face-to-face technical review of both fights.

For context, the federation additionally highlighted that Pakistan had suffered a similar split-decision semifinal defeat at last year's championships. It triggered concern regarding inconsistent judging explanations. It produce it tough for national federations to understand how their athletes are evaluated.

Ahmed further alleged that former Soviet countries favor one another in judging and have significant influence over refereeing decisions. While Pakistan had no representatives on the judging panel, he observed that Russia had entered two fighters in each weight category and secured a multimillion-dollar budget through national sponsors. Former Pakistan Test Captain Reportedly Falls Out of Favor With Selectors.

Despite the controversy, Maliha's bronze medal came after she competed through a number of injuries, including a fractured toe, a severely bruised eyelid, and a partially dislocated jaw. When asked whether she could continue, she informed Ahmed that she fought from the heart and that her injured hands and feet were less notable.

Earlier in the tournament, Maliha defeated Russia's two-time European champion Veronika Drozdova by split decision before securing a unanimous-decision victory over Mexico's Andrea Gabriela Guzman Salazar to reach the semifinals.

Her semifinal opponent, 23-year-old Baldina, had previously won a world title under another MMA federation in Khanty-Mansiysk in 2024 and had secured three victories on her way to the final.

Meanwhile, Maliha's twin sister, Manesha Ali, additionally suffered a narrow split-decision defeat against Poland's Martyna Caruk in the lightweight (70.3kg) quarterfinals. Manesha had previously won gold at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola earlier this year. The Pakistan MMA Federation's appeal remains pending. Stay Connected with ProPakistani.

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In short, maliha Ali Wins Medal at MMA World Championship is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.