Zineb Bouhmada announced her arrival on the Muaythai world stage, taking just over two minutes to complete a victory over Deepa Rajak by knockout on day two of the IFMA World Championships.
The Emirati landed a flurry of blows and a high kick straight on to the head of her Indian opponent in the female 60kg Youth Division at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on Sunday.
Bouhmada, 21, went on the offensive from the word go. She began with a barrage of punches and had her opponent pinned to the ropes twice before a lethal high kick to end the fight.
“That was the instructions from my coach, to attack from the start, and it worked out very well for me on the day,” Bouhmada said after her debut at the world stage.
“I have been practicing Muaythai for only four years. It’s my first appearance at the World Youths and very excited to start off with a victory. I know it would get harder as I move on but I’ll enjoy this win tonight and get back for my next fight on Tuesday.
“It was a pretty easy win to start with and with a rest day for me on Monday, I should be in good shape for the second round. Now the entire focus is on my next opponent, and hopefully I can come with a win from that.”
Joining Bouhmada were Bilal Ibrahim and Ayoub El Mekki in the male 63.5kg and 60kg Youth Divisions.
Ibrahim was impressive in his points victory over Egyptian Kandil Saifallah, and El Mekki outclassed Thanh Phuc Luong also points.
“Getting the first fight out of the way is very important,” Ibrahim said. “To start with a win can do a lot of wonderful things. It gives you the confidence and hope to take the momentum forward.
“The fight, as always, is tough. In combat sports you have to always be on top of your game, and it’s also important to come out of it without injuries because this is a long format with four to five opponents to reach the final.
“As a team, we have done very well so far, with six fighters reaching the second round. The confidence is very naturally very high in the camp.”
The host team has entered an 18-player squad, including four females, in both the open and youth divisions.
“We have been preparing for this home championships for a long time and the hard work that we have put in is beginning to show,” Ibrahim added.
“We want to win as many medals as possible. This has been our objective from the outset. Hopefully we can achieve that.”
