MMA team heads to Lebanon as 3-year BRAVE CF deal signals new era of global growth

Pakistan Mixed Martial Arts Federation (PAKMMAF) is set to compete at the IMMAF Asian Championships in Lebanon, where nearly 400 athletes from 18 countries will participate in one of the continent’s foremost combat-sports tournaments.

Pakistan will be represented by two world medalists, Shahab Ali and Abdul Manan, both of whom secured podium finishes at the 2025 IMMAF World Championship in Georgia, the largest MMA event in the world.

The delegation will also include the team manager and PAKMMAF President Omar Ahmed, who serves on the Executive Board of the IMMAF Asian Federation. Pakistan currently holds the No. 3 ranking in Asia, a notable achievement given the region’s dominance in global mixed martial arts.

A landmark chapter in Pakistan’s MMA rise was written last year when the country hosted the IMMAF Asian Championships in Lahore — the largest sporting event in the nation’s history, surpassing both the 1996 Cricket World Cup fixtures and the 2004 South Asian Games in scale.

Pakistan’s fighters delivered a powerful performance, returning with 12 medals, including standout victories by female athletes Bano Butt and Eman Khan.

PAKMMAF President Omar Ahmed highlighted the broader opportunity MMA presents to young athletes: "Mixed martial arts offers Pakistani athletes a direct pathway to international careers. What we have achieved with extremely limited resources proves the enormous untapped potential of this sport.”