Tbilisi: Pakistan's Maliha Ali won a bronze medal at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Championships in Georgia on Thursday, November 5, after losing her featherweight semi final to Russia's Polina Baldina by split decision, prompting the Pakistan MMA Federation to challenge the judges' scoring.
The 24 year old fighter from Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, competed in the 65.8kg category despite carrying injuries, including a fractured toe, a bruised eyelid and a partially dislocated jaw, according to the federation. Maliha's defeat came after two judges awarded the contest to Baldina, while the third scored it in favour of the Pakistani fighter.
The judges returned scores of 30 to 27 and 29 to 28 for Baldina, with the remaining judge scoring the contest 29 to 28 for Maliha. The difference between the scorecards has become the focus of the federation's appeal, particularly the 30 to 27 decision that awarded all three rounds to Baldina.
Federation seeks review of judges' scoring
Pakistan MMA Federation president Omar Ahmed disputed the decision, maintaining that Maliha had done enough to win the contest. The federation submitted an appeal to the head of the IMMAF Refereeing and Judging Commission, requesting a round by round explanation of the scoring and a technical review of the bout. It also sought clarification over the differences between the three judges' assessments.
The federation argued that the decision raised questions about consistency in judging standards, pointing out that Pakistan had also lost a World Championships semi final by split decision the previous year. Ahmed further alleged that countries from the former Soviet Union held an advantage in judging representation and resources. These allegations have not been independently established, and no finding of misconduct by the judges has been reported. The appeal remains pending, with the original decision standing unless the governing body rules otherwise.
Maliha defeats Russian and Mexican opponents
Maliha reached the semi final after defeating two opponents during the championships in Tbilisi. On Tuesday, she overcame Russia's Veronika Drozdova, a two time European champion, by split decision. She followed that result with a unanimous decision victory over Mexico's Andrea Gabriela Guzman Salazar in Wednesday's quarter final.
The victories secured her place among the medal winners in the featherweight division. Her semi final opponent, Baldina, had previously won a world title under another MMA organisation in 2024 and entered the contest after winning three bouts at the tournament.
Maliha had also entered the championships with international experience, having secured a silver medal at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola earlier this year.
Manesha Ali exits in quarter-finals
Maliha's twin sister, Manesha Ali, also represented Pakistan at the championships. Manesha, who won gold at the IMMAF World Cup in Angola, was eliminated in the lightweight 70.3kg quarter finals on Wednesday after losing by split decision to Poland's Martyna Caruk.
The sisters' participation reflects Pakistan's growing representation in international amateur mixed martial arts, although the federation has raised concerns about differences in funding and technical representation between competing nations. Russia fielded more than 60 athletes at the tournament, while Pakistan competed with a smaller delegation and had no officials on the judging panel, according to the federation.
Maliha's bronze medal remains Pakistan's confirmed result in the featherweight competition. The federation is awaiting a response to its appeal, which seeks clarification of the judging rather than establishing that the result was incorrect.
