Pakistan’s Manesha Ali defeated Angola’s Leonela Isabel Blaiye by second-round submission to win gold at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Cup in Luanda, Angola, the Pakistan MMA Federation announced on Sunday.
With 30 seconds left in the second round, the exhausted Angolan charged forward, throwing a barrage of punches. Manesha, a native of Gilgit-Baltistan who trains out of Brave Gym in Lahore, caught her in a standing guillotine and wrapped up the win with 15 seconds to go.
The Angolan fighter had entered the contest as the favourite, carrying greater international experience and the advantage of fighting on home soil. Manesha overturned the odds with a dominant performance from start to finish.
“I believe completely in my training and in the mentorship of Omar Ahmed,” Manesha 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. My eyes are now firmly set on the IMMAF World Championships in Georgia. The goal is to become world champion in IMMAF and be the first Pakistani female fighter in UFC.”
Pakistan MMA Federation president Omar Ahmed, who has mentored Manesha personally, said that the victory made the difficulties of running the sport in Pakistan worthwhile.
The tournament featured 15 top-ranked teams from around the world, bringing together some of the strongest amateur MMA talent in international competition.
Manesha’s campaign now moves to the Pakistan Open, followed by the IMMAF World Championships in Georgia, beginning on November 1, where she will compete for a world title.
