Anita Karim: Pakistan’s First Female MMA Fighter Set for Historic 2026 Championship

She needed just six seconds to knock her father unconscious. It was 2017, and Anita Karim was only six months into her training. Using a rear-naked choke on their living room floor, she proved that technique beats raw strength. Today, that same determination has made her Pakistan's most prominent figure in a sport once considered off-limits for women.

From the Peaks of Hunza to the MMA Cage

Born in the Hunza Valley, Anita's physical foundation was built on the steep mountain slopes 2,500 meters above sea level. Carrying heavy loads of apricots and firewood as a child prepared her for the rigors of MMA. Her father, a security guard, enrolled her in taekwondo at age seven for self-defense, a decision that eventually led her to drop out of university and pursue a professional fighting career in Islamabad.

The Anita Karim 2026 Championship Milestone

On January 10, 2026, Pakistan will host its first-ever international professional women's MMA fight. Anita will headline the event against Iran's Parisa Shamsabadi. Since her international debut in 2018, Anita has been the sole torchbearer for Pakistani women in the octagon, and this home-ground title fight marks a culmination of nearly a decade of breaking cultural barriers.