Pakistan’s Maliha Ali has reached the final of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Championships in Georgia. She is the first Pakistani woman to reach the final of a global mixed martial arts competition. She earned her place by defeating Mexico’s Andrea Gabriela Guzman Salazar in the semi-final.
Salazar is a Pan-American champion and a World Championship silver medallist. Maliha is now one win away from a world title, a result that officials describe as a milestone for women’s mixed martial arts in Pakistan.
Quarter-final win over Russia’s Veronika Drozdova
Earlier in the tournament, the 24-year-old fighter from Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan, beat Russia’s Veronika Drozdova, a two-time European champion, in the featherweight (65.8kg) bout. Maliha won by split decision over the 19-year-old, moving into the quarter-finals.
Fighting from a southpaw stance, Maliha started cautiously before pressing Drozdova against the cage and landing clean strikes in the opening round. She raised her intensity in the second round, taking Drozdova down and moving into full mount, where she landed several blows. Drozdova took control in the final round with a takedown and dominated the action on the ground.
Injury and background of the Pakistani fighter
The judges awarded the bout to Maliha because of her work in the first two rounds. She reached the final despite an injury sustained in her previous bout against Drozdova.
Maliha is a wushu champion and a national kickboxing gold medallist. Before the championships, she won silver at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola earlier this year.
