As he looks to score his third consecutive victory in ONE Championship, Ahmed Mujtaba is proud to represent Pakistan at ONE Fight Night 10, a historic martial arts event in the United States on May 6.
Headlined by the ONE Flyweight world title trilogy between the MMA GOAT Demetrious Johnson and Adriano Moraes, ONE Fight Night 10 is the Singapore-based organization’s first event on American soil.
The fight card, which features 11 fights in MMA, submission grappling, and Muay Thai, including three world title deciders, will be broadcast in more than 150 countries. In an exciting Lightweight MMA contest, Mujtaba will square off against American star Sage Northcutt who will be making his highly anticipated return.
With all eyes on ONE’s US debut, Mujtaba realizes it is an opportunity to represent Pakistan’s growing MMA community.
“It’s a big thing for me. Once again, I’m representing my country in the States, the land of opportunity. So there’s a lot of people from Pakistan in the US waiting for me to represent my country and there’s a lot of Pakistanis who are going to be in the event cheering for me,” Mujtaba said.
One of the most influential MMA figures in Pakistan, Mujtaba has made it his mission to represent his country on the global stage, shine a light on local talent, and help up-and-coming fighters to improve their game.
Becoming a martial arts star was not an easy task. A disciplined and hard-working athlete, the Quetta native juggled his studies and professional martial arts training, often making a 20-hour drive to a gym in Islamabad for his training camps ahead of fights. He started training in 2010 and quickly made a name for himself on the local scene at Pak Fight Club while also winning gold, silver and two bronze medals in the Pakistan Grappling Championship. He also won the UGB MMA featherweight title after less than two minutes of the first round. In 2016, he signed for Singapore-based ONE Championship, the largest martial arts organization in the world.
“I’m trying to share my knowledge, my expertise with these guys, and you know it’s for the love of the sports. That’s how it is because whatever you learn, you have to pass it on to your generations, so that’s how it is,” Mujtaba recently said.
Since making his winning debut in ONE Championship in November 2016, Mujtaba has established himself as a well-rounded fighter who would pose threat to any opponent in the promotion’s lightweight MMA division.
The 30-year-old’s last two fights ended in impressive wins. Following an emphatic knockout victory inside 56 seconds against India’s Rahul Raji, Mujtaba managed to defeat Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Abraao Amorim last November in his most recent ONE Championship fight.
The 30-year-old martial artist is currently getting ready to participate in the historic event in the famous American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). Ahead of his next fight, Mujtaba knows a third consecutive win against a star with Northcutt’s international reputation will boost his chances of a future title challenge – and aid his quest to elevate Pakistani MMA while inspiring his young compatriots
“You have to be very confident. I’m coming all the way from Pakistan to the USA and I feel very lucky, because I’m the only guy from Pakistan who’s been training at AKA. It was always a dream,” he said.
“It’s a big thing for me. Once again, I’m representing my country in the States, the land of opportunity. So there’s a lot of people from Pakistan in the US waiting for me to represent my country and there’s a lot of Pakistanis who are going to be in the event cheering for me,” Mujtaba said.