Maliha Ali beats Russian champion Drozdova at MMA World Championships
The 24-year-old from Hunza beat two-time European champion Veronika Drozdova by split decision in Tbilisi and fights in the quarter-finals today.
Pakistan’s Maliha Ali has beaten Russia’s Veronika Drozdova, a two-time European champion, at the IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, and moved into the quarter-finals of the amateur mixed martial arts event.
The featherweight (65.8kg) bout on Tuesday, 3 November, went to the judges and Maliha won by split decision. She took the first two rounds on her striking and pressure; 19-year-old Drozdova came back in the third with takedowns and control on the ground, but it was too late to swing the result.
Who is Maliha Ali
Maliha is 24 and from Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan. She trains at BRAVE Gym in Lahore with her twin sister, Manesha, who is also in Pakistan’s squad. Before MMA she made her name in wushu and kickboxing, where she is a national gold medallist, and earlier this year she won silver at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola.
“I was listening to the corner and the coach’s instructions during the fight,” she said afterwards, which shows in how she managed the last round: she survived the Russian’s best spell without giving up a finish.
Why this result stands out
Russia has one of the best-funded MMA programmes in the world. Pakistan’s federation is one of the least-resourced at these championships, according to Pakistan MMA Federation president Omar Ahmed. Pakistan sent a seven-fighter squad to Tbilisi, where the event runs from 1 to 7 November with fighters from more than 70 countries.
What’s next
Maliha faces Mexico’s Andrea Gabriela Guzman Salazar in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Manesha fights Poland’s Martyna Caruk on the same day. A quarter-final win would put Maliha one step from a medal fight.
