LUANDA: Pakistan’s Manesha Ali clinched gold at the IMMAF World Cup in Luanda after submitting Angola’s Leonela Isabel Blaiye in the second round, the Pakistan MMA Federation said on Sunday.
With around 30 seconds remaining in the round, Blaiye pressed forward with a series of punches as fatigue began to show. Ali, who trains at Brave Gym Lahore, capitalised on the opening and secured a standing guillotine, forcing the referee to stop the contest with 15 seconds left.
Ali celebrated the victory with an emotional roar before dropping to her knees, while her sister Maleeha cheered from the crowd as the Pakistani fighter’s hand was raised.
The tournament featured 15 top-ranked teams and brought together some of the leading amateur mixed martial arts fighters from around the world.
Hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan, Ali will now turn her focus to the Pakistan Open before competing at the IMMAF World Championships in Georgia, scheduled to begin on November 1.
“I believe completely in my training and in the mentorship of Omar Ahmed,” Ali said in a statement issued by the Pakistan MMA Federation. “In less than a year, I have developed enormously as a fighter, but this is only one step.”
Ali has set her sights on winning the IMMAF world title and becoming the first Pakistani female fighter to compete in the UFC.
Pakistan MMA Federation chief Omar Ahmed said Ali’s achievement reflected the efforts being made to develop mixed martial arts in the country.
“Running a sports federation in Pakistan is extremely tough,” Ahmed said, referring to policy challenges and administrative hurdles. “But when you see one of our kids standing on top of an international podium, the Pakistan flag going up and the national anthem playing, everything becomes worth it.”
Ali’s next major challenge will be the IMMAF World Championships in Georgia, where she will look to build on her World Cup triumph and challenge for the global amateur MMA title.