Mixed Martial Arts in Pakistan: A New Frontier of Sports and Social Change
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has exploded across the globe in the past two decades, but few countries illustrate its transformational power as vividly as Pakistan. Once dominated exclusively by cricket, Pakistan’s sporting landscape now includes a thriving combat‑sports scene that is breaking gender barriers, providing opportunities for youth and redefining national identity.
The seed: Bashir Ahmad and the birth of PAKMMA
The modern story of Pakistani MMA begins with Bashir Ahmad, a U.S. military veteran and martial artist who returned to Pakistan in 2009. Ahmad’s mission was simple: make MMA mainstream and build home‑grown champions. In just a few years he achieved that and more. Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan (PAKMMA), the organisation he founded, has become the heartbeat of the nation’s MMA community. According to PAKMMA’s own history, Ahmad’s initiative coincided with a surge of gyms and training centres across the country, as young Pakistanis embraced the world’s fastest growing sportpak-mma.com. PAKMMA’s activities span running seminars, staging events, sponsoring fighters and even fielding the first international MMA fighter from Pakistanpak-mma.com. The organisation is now affiliated with ONE Championship and the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), and it attracts major sponsorspak-mma.com.
Growing pains and institutional support
While PAKMMA handled the sport’s grassroots development, the Pakistan MMA Federation (PMMAF) formed to oversee amateur competitions and national teams. In interviews with Dawn and The Nation, PMMAF president Omar Ahmed described a strategic vision to make MMA one of Pakistan’s “next major sports properties.” He conceded that attracting advertisers in a cricket‑obsessed market is challenging and that state sports structures have been mismanageddawn.com. Yet Ahmed highlighted encouraging signs: hosting the IMMAF Asian Championships in Lahore in 2024, which drew around 300 athletes from 18 countries and was broadcast in 140 nations, generating about 50 million viewsdawn.com. He also noted that the Punjab government has begun supporting events like Pakistan Combat Night because of growing youth interest and the emergence of homegrown championsdawn.com.
Despite such successes, funding remains scarce. As of September 2025, the PMMAF had to privately finance a 10‑member national team for the IMMAF World Championships. The delegation included reigning Asian champions Ayan Hussain, Abdul Manan, Sajid Kareem and Shahab Alination.com.pk. Female fighter Bano Butt trained in Thailand to prepare for the event and aimed to inspire more Pakistani women to take up MMAnation.com.pk. Team members expressed hopes of returning with multiple gold medals, underscoring a national pride now attached to the sport.
Women trailblazers: Anita Karim and the rise of female fighters
Perhaps the most compelling chapter of Pakistan’s MMA story is its impact on women’s empowerment. Anita Karim, nicknamed the “Arm Collector”, grew up in Gilgit‑Baltistan honing her skills against her brothers and overcame community scepticism to become Pakistan’s first internationally competing woman MMA fighterdawn.com. In 2016 she entered the ring and later appeared in Asia’s biggest promotion, ONE Championshipdawn.com. Today she trains in Islamabad’s gyms, where she endures spartan conditions yet has inspired a cohort of female fighters from her regiondawn.com. Karim’s specialty, an armlock that forces opponents to submit, earned her the moniker “arm collector” after she injured two opponents who refused to tapdawn.com. She also teaches self‑defence classes and recently made headlines by fending off a harasser in a market, illustrating how MMA gives women confidence and practical safety skillsdawn.com.
Other women are following in Karim’s footsteps. The PMMAF lists fighters like Bano Butt, Marwa Kashani and Eman Khan (currently recovering from injury) among their national rosternation.com.pk. Despite societal constraints—only one in five Pakistani women have jobs, according to UN figures—these athletes train alongside men, win medals abroad and serve as role models for girls who wish to defy gender normsdawn.com.
Beyond fighting: Social impact and economic opportunities
Proponents argue that MMA’s benefits extend far beyond the cage. Omar Ahmed contends that the sport teaches self‑control, discipline and perseverance—qualities he believes Pakistan’s young generation needs as much as sports successdawn.com. He also notes that heroes like Khabib Nurmagomedov resonate more with Gen Z than cricket stars dodawn.com. MMA events have stimulated local economies through ticket sales, merchandise and sponsorship. PAKMMA’s growth has created jobs for gym owners, coaches, promoters and gear manufacturers, while attracting international media attention and sponsorship deals. According to The Nation, the sport’s meritocratic nature—where fighters earn opportunities through skill rather than nepotism—offers an appealing alternative to cricket’s entrenched hierarchiesnation.com.pk.
Challenges and outlook
Pakistan’s MMA scene still faces significant obstacles. Corporate sponsorship is limited, and the government’s support varies by province. Athletes often self‑fund travel to international events. Public understanding of the sport remains limited, and some communities still view combat sports as inappropriate—especially for womendawn.com. However, the rapid growth of gyms and local promotions, combined with the success of figures like Bashir Ahmad and Anita Karim, suggests that Pakistani MMA will continue to expand. If the PMMAF secures consistent funding and builds pathways from amateur to professional competition, Pakistan could soon produce world champions and a sustainable domestic league.
Conclusion
Mixed Martial Arts in Pakistan stands at the intersection of sport, culture and social progress. Founded by a passionate expatriate, nurtured by grassroots organisations and increasingly embraced by national institutions, it has grown from an obscure hobby to a movement that unites young men and women across the country. While challenges remain, the story of MMA in Pakistan is one of resilience and innovation—a story still being written in gyms from Karachi to Gilgit and in cages from Lahore to Dubai.
