A 24-year-old fighter from the mountain valleys of Hunza has become Pakistan’s most-searched name overnight — and she earned it the hard way, inside the cage. Maliha Ali stunned two-time European champion Veronika Drozdova by split decision at the IMMAF World Championships 2026 in Georgia, powering into the quarter-finals of the world’s biggest amateur MMA tournament.
The win has sent ripples far beyond the cage. Trend trackers reading Google’s daily trending searches feed put “maliha ali immaf world championships” as the fastest-rising search in Pakistan on 4 November — ahead of every politician, celebrity and cricket story in the country. For a fighter from Gilgit-Baltistan, in a sport that barely existed in Pakistan a decade ago, that is a landmark moment.
Split-decision stunner against a European champion
Drozdova arrived with the pedigree: a two-time European champion and one of the most decorated names in her division. Maliha Ali, fighting under the Pakistan Mixed Martial Arts Federation (PAKMMAF) banner, met her head-on and convinced the judges over three hard rounds to take the split decision.
The victory continues a remarkable run of form for Pakistani fighters at international amateur level. Over the past two years, the PAKMMAF squad has gone from plucky underdogs to genuine contenders — reaching multiple finals against some of the world’s best-funded teams and stunning established European talent along the way.
Maliha’s triumph follows hot on the heels of her twin sister’s own heroics. Manesha Ali (also spelled Manisha in some reports) won gold at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola in September, submitting the host nation’s Leonela Isabel Blaiye in the second round of the final in Luanda. Two sisters, two medals, one family rewriting Pakistan’s sporting story.
From Hunza to the world stage: the Mountain Twin Fighters
The twins’ journey began high in the raw, unforgiving valleys of Hunza, where they trained with little more than grit, gravity and each other. They started in Taekwondo, moved through Wushu — spending around ten years in traditional martial arts — before making the decision to transition to mixed martial arts, the one combat sport in Pakistan that offers a complete pathway to the IMMAF World Championships and, beyond that, the professional ranks.
Today they train at Brave Gym in Lahore, one of Pakistan’s leading high-performance fight teams, under the structured athlete pathway built by PAKMMAF president Omar Ahmed. Online, they are known as Mountaintwinfighters — a TikTok handle that turned their training ground into a story followed by fans far beyond the mountains.
“We want to inspire people who doubt sports, especially Muslim women,” Manesha has said — a sentiment her twin shares. In a country where women’s sport still fights for every inch of space, two Muslim women from Hunza trading leather at the world championships is a statement in itself.
Twin power: the family’s golden summer
The sisters’ rise has been methodical. At the PAKMMAF Contender Series in Lahore earlier this year, both delivered commanding victories against some of Pakistan’s most accomplished female fighters — Maliha overcoming a Wushu champion who entered the cage roughly five kilograms heavier, Manesha dominating a former national MMA champion from Karachi.
Those domestic wins earned them selection for the PAKMMAF squad at the IMMAF World Championships in Georgia, which opened on 1 November. Maliha’s split-decision win over Drozdova is the standout result of the campaign so far — a victory over a two-time European champion that will be remembered as one of the finest by a Pakistani amateur fighter.
The wider Pakistan squad has been quietly excellent. Fighters like Shahab Ali — who won silver at the Asian championships and bronze at the 2025 worlds — have shown that Pakistan belongs among the sport’s elite. Maliha’s win adds another line to that growing record.
What the quarter-final means for Pakistan MMA
Maliha now fights in the quarter-finals, with a place in the medal rounds on the line. A win would guarantee at least a bronze and keep alive the dream of a world title — the ultimate ambition for a fighter who, with her sister, has spoken openly about wanting to become Pakistan’s first female fighter to compete in the UFC.
Whatever happens next, the statement is already made. A 24-year-old from Hunza walked into the biggest amateur tournament on earth, faced a two-time European champion — and had her hand raised. Search interest, headlines and highlight reels will follow, but the real story is simpler: Pakistan’s MMA revolution is no longer coming. It is here.
Sources: NAM News · The News · Digital Akhbaar
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