Pakistan’s Manesha Ali has bagged the gold medal in the IMMAF World Cup after submission victory in the second round of the tournament in Luanda, Angola.
Ali picked up the win with a standing guillotine at the end of the round. The referee terminated the match with approximately 15 seconds still to go, to clinch a big international victory for the Pakistani fighter.
It was the result of a string of Blaiye’s punches. Ali found an opening, and converted the attack into a submission before the second round was done.
Ali is a trainee of Brave Gym Lahore and hails from Gilgit-Baltistan. Her win also highlighted the participation of Pakistani women in MMA.
The tournament featured 15 of the top-ranked teams and some of the world’s top amateur MMA fighters. If Ali wins in Angola, it will provide her with some international experience before her next big events.
Ali is now in line to contest the Pakistan Open before heading to the IMMAF World Championships in Georgia. The world championships will start on November 1.
Ali in a statement issued by Pakistan MMA Federation said she had improved a lot in less than a year, and gave credit to her training and mentorship by Omar Ahmed. She added that she wants to do better in the future, aiming to win the IMMAF world title and become the first Pakistani woman to fight in the UFC.
Her twin sister Maleeha was also present in the last and rejoiced with Ali when her hand was raised after the submission. The emotional moment was after a result that added another feather in Pakistan’s cap in international combat sports.
Pakistan MMA Federation chief Omar Ahmed stated that Ali’s success made the hard work of developing MMA sport worth it. He said that the medal was proof of what Pakistani fighters can do if they are given proper training and support.
With the Angola win, Ali now has a solid base from which to launch the World Championships. She will have more chances to put herself to the test against top amateur fighters in the international circuit in her next appearances.
