Pakistan’s Maliha Ali Stuns Two-Time European Champion at MMA World Championships

Pakistan's Maliha Ali secured a major victory at the IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, defeating Russia's two-time European champion Veronika Drozdova by split decision.

Key points

• Pakistan vs India World Cup 2027 Match Gets More Ticket Requests Than Final.
• The 24-year-old fighter from Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan, defeated her 19-year-old opponent in the featherweight (65.8kg) category to advance to the quarterfinals.
• This person won gold at the IMMAF World Cup in Luanda earlier this year, will compete against Poland's Martyna Caruk on the same day.
• Maliha will now face Mexico's Andrea Gabriela Guzman Salazar in Wednesday's quarterfinals.
• Highlighting the funding gap between the two countries, Omar remarked Pakistan was competing with significantly fewer resources than Russia.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old fighter from Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan, defeated her 19-year-old opponent in the featherweight (65.8kg) category to advance to the quarterfinals.

Notably, the victory came against a Russian team that arrived at the tournament with more than 60 athletes, administration backing, and one of the best-funded MMA programs in the sport. Former Pakistani Fast Bowler Joins Afghanistan Premier League.

Maliha, who is additionally a wushu champion and national kickboxing gold medalist, entered the tournament after securing a silver medal at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola earlier this year.

Notably, the Pakistani fighter began cautiously in a southpaw stance before gaining control in the opening round. Although the Russian responded with a couple of overhand left punches, she pushed Drozdova against the cage and landed a number of clean strikes.

Maliha strengthened her position in the second round, securing a takedown and moving into full mount, where she landed a number of powerful strikes from the top.

Nevertheless, the Pakistani fighter appeared to tire in the final round, allowing Drozdova to secure a takedown and control the action on the ground. Despite losing the third round, Maliha had done enough in the first two rounds to secure the judges' decision.

After the announcement, Maliha celebrated with her corner, embraced her opponent, and performed a prostration of gratitude with the Pakistani flag draped over her shoulders. Pakistan MMA Federation President Omar Ahmed additionally celebrated the victory from her corner. Maliha credited her coaches and the team's preparation for the result.

"We worked on our opponent's game plan, how she fights, and executed our strategy. And thankfully it worked, " she remarked.

Omar made public that the federation had organized a six-week training camp and brought in an international jiu-jitsu and grappling coach to address weaknesses identified during Maliha's previous performance in Angola.

He remarked the further training supported improve her performance against a challenging opponent.

"Compared to them, we are the most underfunded and probably the least-resourced federation competing in this event since of the sports policy in Pakistan. But still, we manage to eke out victories against such formidable opponents, " he remarked.

He continued that the determination of Pakistani fighters continued to produce results despite limited financial backing.

Pakistan's participation in last year's championships in Tbilisi was additionally reportedly financed entirely through private sponsorship, without administration funding.

Her twin sister, Manesha Ali. This person won gold at the IMMAF World Cup in Luanda earlier this year, will compete against Poland's Martyna Caruk on the same day. Both fighters are aiming to secure world titles for Pakistan. Stay Connected with ProPakistani.

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