Maliha Ali Wins MMA World Bronze for Pakistan After Fighting Through Injury and a Split-Decision Defeat
Pakistan’s Maliha Ali has won a bronze medal at the MMA World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, after fighting through a fractured toe, a badly bruised eyelid and a partially dislocated jaw — and then losing a semi-final that her federation says she clearly won.
The 24-year-old from Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan, lost her women’s featherweight semi-final to Russia’s Polina Baldina on Thursday, 5 November, on a split decision. The three judges could not agree: one scored the bout 30-27 for Baldina, giving Maliha no rounds at all, another scored it 29-28 for Maliha, and the third gave it 29-28 to Baldina.
The Pakistan MMA Federation has now filed a formal appeal against the decision, asking the sport’s world governing body to explain how three judges watching the same fight could see it so differently.
For Maliha, the medal is still a landmark. She is one of the first Pakistani women to stand on the podium at the amateur MMA world championships, and she did it the hard way — beating a two-time European champion on the way, and fighting on when most athletes would have stopped.
The semi-final: three judges, three different scorecards
The semi-final was fought in the women’s featherweight division, at 65.8kg, against Polina Baldina of Russia. Baldina, 23, is a former world champion in a different MMA federation, having won a world title in Khanty-Mansiysk in 2024, and she had won three bouts on her way to the final.
When the final bell rang, Maliha stood with her arms raised, believing she had done enough to win. The fight had been close. No round was won clearly by either fighter. The second round could have gone to Baldina, but the first and third were tight, with Maliha landing the cleaner shots in the third.
Then came the scorecards — and they told three different stories.
One judge scored the bout 30-27 for Baldina, which means that judge gave her all three rounds. A second judge scored it 29-28 for Maliha. The third judge scored it 29-28 for Baldina. Two judges to one, and the decision went to the Russian.
“It was a clear win. We were literally robbed,” Omar Ahmed, president of the Pakistan MMA Federation, told Dawn.
The result ended Maliha’s run at the championships, which were held from 1 to 7 November in the Georgian capital. Because both losing semi-finalists in the tournament receive a bronze medal, she leaves Tbilisi with a world championship bronze — and, her federation insists, a claim to something more.
Some early reports wrongly said Maliha had reached the final. The federation later corrected this: she lost the semi-final and finished the competition with the bronze medal.
Fighting through injury
What makes Maliha’s week in Tbilisi so remarkable is the condition she fought in. She competed with a fractured toe, a severely bruised eyelid and a partially dislocated jaw.
When Omar Ahmed asked her if she could compete, her answer was simple.
“Sir, we fight from the heart,” she said. “These hands and feet are just not that important.”
She fought anyway — and won twice before the semi-final stopped her.
Injuries are part of combat sports, but fighting through three of them at a world championship, against the best amateur fighters on the planet, is something else. A fractured toe makes every step and every kick painful. A dislocated jaw makes it hard to breathe properly, let alone take a punch. A badly bruised eyelid limits what a fighter can see coming.
Maliha did not use any of it as an excuse. She has not blamed the injuries for the defeat. Her complaint is about the judging, not her body.
The road to the semi-final
Maliha’s run to the last four began with one of the biggest wins of her career. On Tuesday, 3 November, she faced Veronika Drozdova of Russia, a two-time European champion, and beat her by split decision.
It was a result that made people sit up. Drozdova is one of the most experienced fighters in the division, and Maliha had to convince the judges over three hard rounds to take the decision. The win made her one of Pakistan’s most-searched names overnight.
She followed it with a unanimous decision over Mexico’s Andrea Gabriela Guzman Salazar, a win that carried her into the semi-final. A unanimous decision means all three judges agreed she won — the kind of clear verdict that was missing in the semi-final.
Baldina, her semi-final opponent, had also been in strong form, winning three bouts on her way to the final. The semi-final was always going to be close. The problem, in Pakistan’s view, is not that it was close — it is that one judge saw a shutout, 30-27, while another saw a win for Maliha.
Pakistan appeals the decision
The Pakistan MMA Federation has submitted a formal letter to the Head of the IMMAF Refereeing and Judging Commission, the body that oversees officials at the championships. The appeal asks for three things: a round-by-round breakdown of how the judges scored the semi-final, an explanation for the wide gap between the three scorecards, and a face-to-face technical review of the contest.
The appeal remains pending. Supporters should be clear about what it can achieve: a scoring review can explain the judges’ cards, but it does not by itself overturn a result. Baldina remains the winner of the bout unless the review changes the record.
But the federation’s letter goes further than one fight. In it, Omar Ahmed noted that Pakistan lost a semi-final by split decision at last year’s championships as well.
“When different explanations are provided for similar judging situations, it becomes difficult for national federations to establish a consistent understanding of the standards against which their athletes are being assessed,” the letter stated.
Omar went further, alleging that former Soviet states favour each other in judging and dominate the refereeing space. He said Russia brought two fighters per weight class and a multi-million dollar budget through national sponsors, while Pakistan had zero officials on the panel.
Those are serious claims, and they are the federation’s claims, not proven findings. But they explain why Pakistan feels the decision was not just a bad night for one fighter, but part of a pattern that smaller federations struggle against.
Who is Maliha Ali? From Hunza to the world stage
Maliha Ali is a 24-year-old martial artist from Hunza, in the mountain valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan. She has more than a decade of experience in combat sports.
She is a two-time national MMA gold medallist, holds a black belt in Taekwondo and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and her background also includes Judo, Wushu and grappling. In September 2026, she won an international silver medal at the IMMAF World Cup in Luanda, Angola. She also won a bronze medal at the 2024 KASAD Asian Taekwondo Open Championship in Indonesia.
Her international experience includes competing at the 2021 FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China, and a Taekwondo training camp in Russia in 2023.
Maliha’s journey began with her twin sister, Manesha Ali. The two started in Taekwondo, moved through Wushu — spending around ten years in traditional martial arts — and then made the decision to switch to mixed martial arts.
The reason was simple, the sisters have said: MMA is the only combat sport in Pakistan that offers a complete pathway. It gives athletes the chance to compete at the IMMAF World Championships and, if they keep performing, opens the door to professional organisations around the world.
Today they train at Brave Gym in Lahore, one of Pakistan’s leading high-performance fight teams, under the structured athlete pathway built by Pakistan MMA Federation president Omar Ahmed. Online, they are known as Mountaintwinfighters — a TikTok handle that turned their training ground in the mountains into a story followed by fans far beyond Hunza.
The sisters are originally from Hunza and now study in Lahore. Their rise was on show at the PAKMMAF Contender Series earlier this year, where Maliha defeated Sadia of Quetta, a Wushu champion and national kickboxing gold medallist who entered the contest about five kilograms heavier, while Manesha dominated former national MMA champion Imama from Karachi.
Their dream, Maliha has said, is to represent Pakistan at the 2028 Olympic Games.
Her twin sister’s tough week too
Wednesday had been a tough day for the family as well. Maliha’s twin sister Manesha, who won gold at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola earlier this year, also lost a narrow split decision — to Poland’s Martyna Caruk in the lightweight (70.3kg) quarter-finals.
So both sisters left the tournament feeling that close judging calls had gone against them. For the family back in Hunza, and for the small team around them in Tbilisi, it was a week of pride mixed with frustration.
That is part of what makes the bronze medal matter. In a sport where Pakistan is still a newcomer, and where the team had no officials on the judging panel, two sisters from a mountain valley reached the closing stages of a world championship.
What MMA means for Pakistan
Mixed martial arts barely existed in Pakistan a decade ago. There were no proper gyms, no national pathway, and no international results to speak of. That has changed quickly.
The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, known as IMMAF, is the global governing body for amateur MMA, and its World Championships are the biggest event in the amateur sport. For a Pakistani fighter to win a medal there — and to beat a two-time European champion on the way — is a sign of how far the sport has come in the country.
The Pakistan Mixed Martial Arts Federation has built one of the country’s most structured athlete pathways, taking fighters from local competitions through to the world championships. Maliha and Manesha are the most visible products of that system, but they are not the only ones.
For young women in Pakistan, the story carries extra weight. Combat sports are still unusual for women in the country, and a woman from Gilgit-Baltistan standing on a world championship podium is the kind of image that changes what girls think is possible.
Maliha has also spoken about wanting to coach girls and teach martial arts and self-defence back home in Hunza. The sisters have said they do not yet have enough financial support to start a club there — a reminder that success at world level does not always come with funding at home.
What happens next
The appeal is now with the IMMAF Refereeing and Judging Commission. There is no set date for an answer, and as noted, a review explains a decision — it does not automatically change it.
What is certain is that Maliha returns home with a world championship bronze medal, a win over a two-time European champion, and a reputation that has grown far beyond Pakistan. She also returns with the experience of a semi-final that many who watched it believe she won.
For Pakistan’s MMA programme, the next steps are the ones the federation has been building towards: more fighters at world events, more officials involved in the sport’s judging, and more support for athletes like Maliha and Manesha so that the next trip to a world championship does not depend on fighting through broken bones.
The bronze medal is already won. The argument about the semi-final will go on.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Maliha Ali?
Maliha Ali is a 24-year-old mixed martial arts fighter from Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan. She is a two-time national MMA gold medallist with a black belt in Taekwondo and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and she trains at Brave Gym in Lahore with her twin sister, Manesha Ali.
What did Maliha Ali win at the MMA World Championships?
She won a bronze medal in the women’s featherweight (65.8kg) division at the 2026 IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. She lost her semi-final to Russia’s Polina Baldina on a split decision on Thursday, 5 November.
Why has Pakistan appealed the semi-final result?
The Pakistan MMA Federation says the judges’ scorecards were too different to be fair: one judge scored the bout 30-27 for Baldina, another scored it 29-28 for Maliha, and the third scored it 29-28 for Baldina. The federation has asked for a round-by-round breakdown of the scoring, an explanation for the differences, and a face-to-face technical review.
Who did Maliha beat on her way to the semi-final?
She beat Russia’s Veronika Drozdova, a two-time European champion, by split decision on 3 November, and then beat Mexico’s Andrea Gabriela Guzman Salazar by unanimous decision.
What injuries did Maliha fight with?
She fought with a fractured toe, a severely bruised eyelid and a partially dislocated jaw. When asked if she could compete, she told federation president Omar Ahmed: “Sir, we fight from the heart. These hands and feet are just not that important.”
What is the IMMAF World Championships?
It is the biggest event in amateur mixed martial arts, run by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, the global governing body for the amateur sport. The 2026 championships were held in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 1 to 7 November.
Conclusion
Maliha Ali went to Tbilisi with a broken toe, a bruised eye and a dislocated jaw, and came home with a world championship bronze medal and a story that Pakistan will remember.
She beat a two-time European champion. She won a unanimous decision to reach the semi-final. And in the semi-final, she fought well enough that one judge gave her the fight — even if the other two did not.
The appeal may or may not change the record. But the medal is real, the performances are on the record, and the fighter from Hunza has shown that Pakistan belongs at the top table of world MMA.
She fought from the heart. Now, her federation fights for her.
Sources
- Dawn, “Maliha Ali takes bronze at MMA worlds as Pakistan appeals semi-final decision”, 6 November 2026: https://www.dawn.com/news/2042574
- The Express Tribune, “Maliha claims bronze at MMA Worlds”, 6 November 2026: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638981/maliha-claims-bronze-at-mma-worlds?amp=1
- ProPakistani, “Maliha Ali Wins Medal at MMA World Championship”, 6 November 2026: https://propakistani.pk/2026/11/06/maliha-ali-wins-medal-at-mma-world-championship/
- Netmag, “Pakistan’s Maliha Ali Wins Bronze Medal at MMA World Championship in Georgia”, 6 November 2026: https://netmag.pk/pakistans-maliha-ali-wins-bronze-medal-at-mma-world-championship-in-georgia/
- The News, “From Hunza to the world stage: Twin sisters leading Pakistan MMA’s rise”, 26 July 2026: https://www.thenews.pk/tns/detail/1428258-from-hunza-to-the-world-stage-twin-sisters-leading-pakistan-mmas-rise
- Pamir Times, background on Maliha Ali’s career record, 6 November 2026: https://pamirtimes.net/2026/11/06/maliha-ali-reaches-immaf-world-championships-final-makes-history-for-pakistan/
- PK Sports Link, “Maliha Ali wins MMA World bronze as Pakistan appeals controversial semifinal decision”, 6 November 2026: https://pksportslink.com/post/maliha-ali-wins-mma-world-bronze-as-pakistan-appeals-controversial-semifinal-decision
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
