Maliha Ali wins IMMAF bronze after semi-final loss; federation files appeal
Pakistan's Maliha Ali won bronze at the IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi after a split-decision semi-final loss to Russia's Polina Baldina. The Pakistan MMA Federation has appealed the result.
- Maliha Ali won bronze at the IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia.
- She lost the featherweight semi-final to Polina Baldina by split decision.
- The Pakistan MMA Federation has lodged an official appeal with IMMAF, which is pending.
Pakistan's mixed martial arts fighter Maliha Ali has won a bronze medal at the IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, according to Minute Mirror. Her campaign ended on Thursday with a split-decision loss to Russia's Polina Baldina in the featherweight (65.8kg) semi-final.
Earlier reports, including The Nation Sports and Daily Pakistan Urdu, had described her as the first Pakistani woman to reach the final after she beat Mexico's Andrea Gabriela Guzman, a Pan-American champion. Minute Mirror's later report says her run ended in the semi-final, and she took bronze.
According to Minute Mirror, she beat Russia's Veronika Drozdova by split decision on Tuesday and then beat Guzman Salazar by unanimous decision. Daily Pakistan Urdu said she had earlier defeated a Russian European champion on the way.
Minute Mirror reported that she fought with a fractured toe, a severely bruised eyelid and a partially dislocated jaw. In the semi-final, one judge scored all three rounds for Baldina 30-27, another gave Maliha 29-28, and the third gave Baldina 29-28.
Baldina is 23, a former world champion in another MMA federation, and won three consecutive bouts to reach the final, the report said.
The Pakistan MMA Federation has formally challenged the result and lodged an official appeal with IMMAF. Federation president Omar Ahmed said Maliha was denied a deserved victory. The federation wrote to the head of IMMAF's Refereeing and Judging Commission asking for a round-by-round scoring breakdown, an explanation of the conflicting scorecards and a face-to-face technical review.
The appeal also raised concern over another split-decision semi-final defeat for Pakistan at last year's championships. Omar Ahmed alleged that former Soviet states have an advantage in IMMAF refereeing and judging structures, and said Russia has more financial and administrative resources than Pakistan. The appeal remains pending.
Maliha's twin sister Manesha lost a narrow split decision to Poland's Martyna Caruk in the lightweight (70.3kg) quarter-final. She had earlier won gold at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola. Maliha was quoted as saying, "Sir, we fight from the heart."
Why it matters
Maliha Ali's bronze is a world-level medal for a Pakistani woman in mixed martial arts, a sport followed by a growing audience in Pakistan. The federation's appeal, which is still pending, will decide whether the semi-final scoring is explained or reviewed by IMMAF.
