Pakistan’s Maliha Ali stuns Russian opponent to reach World MMA Championship quarter-finals

Pakistan’s Maliha Ali produced an impressive performance at the IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, defeating Russia’s two-time European champion Veronika Drozdova by split decision in the featherweight category on Tuesday.

How did Maliha secure the victory?

The 24-year-old from Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan, adopted a cautious approach in the opening round before moving forward to put Drozdova under pressure against the cage. She connected with several clean strikes to finish the round strongly.

Maliha stepped up her performance in the second round, executing a takedown. However, the Pakistani fighter appeared fatigued in the final round, allowing Drozdova to secure a takedown and control much of the ground action.

Despite losing the third round, Maliha's earlier dominance proved decisive, with the judges awarding her a split-decision victory.

Taking to Instagram after her victory, Maliha expressed her happiness at defeating the Russian European champion, writing: “One of the happiest moments of my life. Winning against the European champion from Russia. Some moments bring joy that words simply cannot describe.”

What awaits Maliha in the quarter-finals?

Maliha had entered the competition after winning silver at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola earlier this year.

Maliha will now face Mexico’s Andrea Gabriela Guzman Salazar in Wednesday’s quarter-final, while her twin sister Manesha, an Angola gold medallist, takes on Poland’s Martyna Caruk. Both Pakistani fighters will be aiming to continue their campaigns towards world titles.