Pakistan's Bano Butt, Eman Khan secure gold medals at Asian MMA Championship 2024

Pakistani female fighters Bano Butt and Eman Khan achieved remarkable success at Asia IMMA Championship 2024 finals on Thursday as each athlete clinched a gold medal for their country.

Bano Butt earned her place in the final by knocking out Khushboo Nishad of India in the semifinal round on Wednesday.

In the final, Bano displayed exceptional skill and defeated Kazakhstan's Gulnaz Abdrakhmanova to secure the gold.

Eman Khan also brought home gold by dominating Kazakhstan's Dinara Ayapova in the first round of their match.

Speaking after the event, Khan expressed her dedication, saying she "worked hard for three years to claim this victory."

Another Pakistani athlete Bushra Ahmed was defeated in a tough match against Adel Makhametova, who is a dominant MMA fighter.

Pakistan's Ahmed had directly qualified for the finals but couldn't overcome Makhametova. However, Ahmed still earned a silver medal.

All three fighters in Pakistani men's team lost their respective matches in the Asian MMA Championship.

Zeeshan Akbar was defeated in the final round by a Kyrgyzstan fighter, while Shahab Ali and Abdul Mannan also failed to secure victories.

Kazakhstan and Tajikistan dominated the medal count with seven gold medals each. Bahrain followed with three gold medals, while Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan each earned two golds.

In total, Pakistan secured two gold medals and four silvers in the entire event.

Pakistan hosted the Asian MMA Championship for the first time in Lahore while the Brave Combat Federation made its comeback after a six-year hiatus.