Fight Night Kickstarts in Male Last Night

Last night was “Fight Night’ at local martial arts school, Fight Soul. Featuring a total of 7 bouts, the kickboxing event was hosted in the Fight Soul gym which is situated in H. Sosun Villa, Male’ City.

As combat sports gain momentum in Maldives, amateur fighters like Aminath Lamha Khalid, Raaid, and Raif find themselves drawn to the ring, driven by a passion for competition and self-improvement.

“For me, kickboxing has really built my confidence,” says Aminath Lamha Khalid, reflecting on her first official fight. “I started training a year ago and thought this would be a fun opportunity.”

Raaid, who won his first fight last night, shared a similar sentiment. “Kickboxing has given me a newfound sense of purpose,” he shares. “As a doctor, finding my passion outside of medicine has been really fulfilling, and kickboxing has become an important part of my life.”

His opponent, Raif, was inspired by legends like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, and sees kickboxing as a means of emulating his idols’ greatness. “That’s the kind of fighter I want to be someday,” he explains.

While last night’s event was only open to fighters from the Fight Soul gym, co-founder Mohamed Shanas says the martial arts dojo will host another kickboxing event on a larger scale after Ramadan, inviting other local martial art dojos to participate.

“We have a more exciting event after that (Ramadan event). In June, we will be launching the Maldives Fighting Championship,” he added.

“The event (theme) will be Maldives vs. Srilanka – we hope it will launch Maldives combat sports onto the international stage” 

Fight Soul’s journey began in 2021, when Shanas was approached by his fellow co-founder Abdulla Firushan Ali to train and mentor his son. “My son is the first Maldivian to participate in an international fighting competition. (Shanas) trained my son for the 2022 Thailand Fighting Championship.” he said.

Notably, Fight Soul is affiliated with Sri Lanka’s Fight Soul MMA gym. 

Hailing from Sri Lanka, Mohamed Shanas is a seasoned martial artist and professional kickboxing coach. 

“Our journey is far from over,” affirms Shanas. “With each fight, each victory, we inch closer to our goal of establishing kickboxing in Maldives. Together, we will continue to inspire, empower, and elevate the next generation of fighters.”