Pakistan’s Manesha Ali secured 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 30 seconds remaining in the round, Blaiye moved forward throwing a flurry of punches as fatigue set in. Ali, who trains at Brave Gym Lahore, caught her opponent in a standing guillotine and held the submission until the referee stopped the bout with 15 seconds left.
Manesha celebrated by roaring before dropping to her knees, while her sister Maleeha cheered from the crowd. The victory brought an emotional response from the fighter as her hand was raised.
The tournament brought together 15 top-ranked teams and some of the leading amateur mixed martial arts talent from around the world.
Manesha, who is from Gilgit-Baltistan, now turns her attention to the Pakistan Open before the IMMAF World Championships in Georgia, which begin on Nov. 1.
“I believe completely in my training and in the mentorship of Omar Ahmed,” Ali said in a statement released by the Pakistan MMA Federation. “In less than a year, I have developed enormously as a fighter, but this is only one step.”
Her stated goal is to win the IMMAF world title and become the first Pakistani female fighter to compete in the UFC.
Pakistan MMA Federation chief Omar Ahmed said Ali’s success offered a reward for the work involved in developing the sport in Pakistan.
“Running a sports federation in Pakistan is extremely tough,” Ahmed said, citing 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.”
Manesha’s next major test will come at the world championships in Georgia, where she will seek to turn her World Cup success into a bid for a global amateur MMA title.
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