Ahmed Mujtaba signs for Asia's biggest MMA promotion

Quetta-based cage fighter will make ONE Championship debut next month

KARACHI: ONE Championship, Asia's biggest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion, announced on Thursday that it has snapped up Pakistan's highly rated fighter Ahmed "The Wolverine" Mujtaba.

Mujtaba, who has so far won all five of his professional bouts and is the reigning WSOFGC and UnderGround Battle featherweight champion, will face Benedict Ang on November 11 at Singapore Indoor Stadium, Kallang, Singapore as part of a ONE Championship: Defending Honour fight card.

"It's an honor to fight for ONE Championship. I'd like to thank the company's CEO Victor Cui and VP of Operations Matt Hume for the opportunity," Mujtaba told The Express Tribune. "And after winning titles at UnderGround Battle and World Series of Fighting Global Championship, I'd like to bring more glory to Pakistan."

MMA star Bashir Ahmad also expressed his delight at Mujtaba signing for ONE FC, saying: "This is great news that after me and Waqar Umar, Ahmed Mujtaba has also reached this level. This is how our sport will grow."

Like Mujtaba, his upcoming opponent Ang is also undefeated and has come out triumphant in all three of his bouts. But the fighting styles of the two opponents are quite different, with Mujtaba considered more of a submission expert and Ang a knockout artist.

In his young pro career, the 23-year-old Mujtaba has rarely been tested, but in Ang he is up against a fighter who already has a victory over a Pakistani fighter.

Mind you, Ang earned a B unanimous decision by win over Synergy's Waqar Umar last year, and avenging his country man will definitely be Mujtaba's priority when he squares up to the Singaporean  next month.