Anita Karim : Pakistan’s first and only international female practitioner of Mixed Martial Arts

Anita Karim is Pakistan’s first and only international female practitioner of mixed martial arts. Her rise has been as much about her determination to take on a male-oriented society as her dedication to hard work and training.

The first ever female mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of Pakistan, who started practicing taekwondo at an early age in Hunza with her brothers, is not disheartened by the defeat. She is determined to learn from her mistakes and get back to the ring stronger to walk off as the winner one day.

“It was all about experience, they were not differently trained,” says Anita. “The jabs, the crosses and the kicks are all the same, it is just about implementing them. I have to focus a bit more on these things,” she says.

MMA is still a growing sport in Pakistan and not so popular among the female population of the country. Anita did not have a female companion to train with or to compete against, so she trained with her brother and other male practitioners of martial arts under the supervision of the well-known trainer, Ehtisham Karim. When she arrived in Islamabad from Hunza, she was given a choice between higher studies or a professional MMA career. She picked the latter, despite knowing the challenges.

“Before getting her into MMA, we trained for a few days so that she could understand how it feels when you are punched in the face,” says Ehtisham, who is himself an established MMA fighter in the country. Training with her male counterparts has not been easy for Anita. She never misses her training and is one of the most hardworking individuals at Ehtisham’s gym. “I wanted to beat the stereotypical thinking that girls are not strong enough,” she says.

“I wanted to prove that girls can do anything, that they are not delicate or too sensitive, and it is only a perception that they are weaker. It is actually what society has fed us.” Despite being the only girl training at the gym, Anita does not get any leverage. In fact, while fighting against men in practice matches she gives them a pretty tough time. 

source: https://images.dawn.com/news/1180742/meet-pakistans-first-and-only-international-female-mixed-martial-arts-practitioner