Anita Karim has created history by becoming the first Pakistani fighter to be selected for The Ultimate Fighter Season 34, securing a spot in the women’s strawweight division on one of MMA’s most recognised talent platforms.
Karim, known by her nickname “The Arm Collector”, holds a professional MMA record of 6 wins and 2 losses and trains out of Fairtex Training Centre in Pattaya, Thailand.
The season, officially titled The Ultimate Fighter: Team Cormier vs. Team Bisping, features two former UFC champions as rival coaches.
Daniel Cormier, a former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion, returns after coaching Season 33, while Michael Bisping, a former UFC Middleweight Champion and TUF winner himself, joins him on the opposite bench.
UFC announced a pool of 20 fighters for the season, featuring 10 men’s bantamweights and 10 women’s strawweights. However, not all 20 will enter the competition. Only 16 fighters will take part, with four serving as alternates, two from each division.
The show premieres on June 14, 2026 exclusively on Paramount+, with new episodes airing every Tuesday.
The season’s roster spans multiple regions including South Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America. In the women’s strawweight group, Karim joins fighters such as Natalia Alves and Melissa Amaya, both carrying unbeaten records of 8-0, alongside Valesca Machado, the most experienced fighter in the division with a record of 15-4.
The Ultimate Fighter has historically served as a launchpad for future UFC careers, with past participants going on to become champions and contenders in the organisation.
Karim was born in Karimabad, Hunza Valley, in Gilgit-Baltistan and comes from a family of MMA fighters.
She co-founded Fight Fortress alongside her brothers, one of the first MMA training centres in Pakistan. She is the first international female MMA fighter from Pakistan to win multiple national and international bouts.
