Pakistan’s Manesha Ali defeated Angola’s Leonela Isabel Blaiye by second-round submission to win gold at the 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, who trains out of Brave Gym Lahore and hails from Gilgit-Baltistan, caught her in a standing guillotine and wrapped up the win with 15 seconds to go.
Manesha roared, then dropped to her knees. Her roar was answered by her sister Maleeha, who was in the crowd cheering her on. Manesha was visibly overcome by emotion as her hand was raised.
The tournament featured 15 top-ranked teams from around the world, bringing together some of the strongest amateur MMA talent.
The campaign now moves to the Pakistan Open, followed by the IMMAF World Championships in Georgia, beginning on November 1, where Manesha will compete for a world title.
“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 chief Omar Ahmed said the result made the challenges of running the sport worthwhile.
“Running a sports federation in Pakistan is extremely tough. There are policy challenges, administrative hurdles and obstacles at almost every stage,” he said. “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. There is no better feeling.”
