Pakistan’s Maliha Ali wins MMA bronze, Federation challenges defeat

Pakistan’s rising mixed martial arts fighter Maliha Ali has secured a bronze medal at the IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, despite competing through serious injuries, while the Pakistan MMA Federation has formally challenged her controversial semi-final defeat.

Maliha’s impressive campaign ended on Thursday after she suffered a split-decision loss to Russia’s Polina Baldina in the featherweight (65.8kg) semi-final. However, the federation believes the Pakistani fighter deserved victory and has lodged an official appeal with the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF).

The 23-year-old Baldina, a former world champion in another MMA federation, advanced to the final after winning three consecutive bouts.

Maliha, meanwhile, demonstrated remarkable determination throughout the competition despite fighting with a fractured toe, a severely bruised eyelid and a partially dislocated jaw.

When Pakistan MMA Federation president Omar Ahmed questioned whether she was fit enough to compete, Maliha responded with a message that reflected her fighting spirit.

“Sir, we fight from the heart,” she told him, adding that her hands and feet were not that important.

Her journey to the semi-finals included an impressive victory over Russia’s two-time European champion Veronika Drozdova on Tuesday. Maliha defeated her opponent through a split decision before securing a unanimous-decision victory against Mexico’s Andrea Gabriela Guzman Salazar.

Against Baldina, the Pakistani fighter believed she had done enough to reach the final and raised her arms when the final bell rang.

However, the judges delivered a divided verdict. One judge awarded all three rounds to Baldina with a 30-27 score, while another scored the contest 29-28 in Maliha’s favour. The third judge also gave Baldina a 29-28 victory.

Omar strongly criticised the outcome, telling Dawn that Maliha had been denied a deserved victory.

The federation has submitted a formal letter to the head of IMMAF’s Refereeing and Judging Commission, requesting a detailed round-by-round scoring breakdown, an explanation for the conflicting scorecards and a face-to-face technical review of the contest.

The appeal also highlighted concerns over Pakistan experiencing another split-decision semi-final defeat at last year’s championships.

Omar further raised concerns about judging representation, alleging that former Soviet states enjoy an advantage in the sport’s refereeing and judging structures. He also pointed to the financial and administrative resources available to Russia compared with Pakistan’s limited representation.

Meanwhile, Maliha’s twin sister Manesha also endured disappointment after losing a narrow split decision to Poland’s Martyna Caruk in the lightweight (70.3kg) quarter-finals. Manesha had earlier won gold at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola.

Although Maliha leaves Georgia with a bronze medal, Pakistan’s appeal remains pending as the federation seeks a review of the controversial decision.