For Pakistan MMA Athlete, Liaquat Mohmand, his route into the sport was driven by self-preservation. Having experienced bullying as he was growing up in Quetta, the largest city in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, it was his father who guided him into Mixed Martial Arts so that he could learn to protect himself.

Without a formalised structure for the sport in Pakistan until more recently with the arrival of GAMMA in the country, it was more of a challenge to carve out a clear path for his development in the sport. With more people in Pakistan becoming interested the sport, his next challenge is to capitalise on his recent continental success and find a sponsor that will allow him to dedicate more time to training. “Mixed Martial Arts is an exciting sport and I like the challenge where the competitions are tough and there is pressure to do well.”

Winning a silver medal in the 2021 GAMMA Asian Championships was just the start for Mohmand who aspires to turn professional in the coming years. Reflecting on his success from the Asian Championships last year, Mohmand was surprised by the whole event. “Before arriving in Kyrgyzstan, we didn’t expect such a good event, but it was the best event of my life. I had great support and such a positive attitude from my coaches and friends, which was such an important factor for my success.”

“I had perhaps underestimated the standard of these GAMMA Championships. Going in, I thought everything was easy and then I quickly realised the importance of being well prepared, both mentally and physically. I am now looking forward to seeing how far I can go in this great sport.”

Despite not being able to make it to the GAMMA World Championships in 2021, Mohmand seeks to do one better and bring home the gold medal at the GAMMA Asian-PAcific Championships later next week.

To follow Liaquat on his MMA journey, follow him on Instagram, here.