Maldivian fighters make mark at international Muay Thai championship
Ahmed Eelaf Nadeem captures his second professional title while rising fighter Danial Ahmed Zaki takes silver as Maldives builds its presence in international combat sports
MALÉ, Maldives (MNTV) — The Maldives secured a championship title and a runner-up finish at an international professional Muay Thai competition in Sri Lanka this week, marking another advance for the small Indian Ocean nation as its fighters build a growing presence in regional combat sports.
Maldivian fighters Ahmed Eelaf Nadeem and Danial Ahmed Zaki both reached the podium at the MAIN CHAMPIONSHIP in Colombo, where 20 professional fighters from seven countries competed across 10 bouts.
According to local media, Eelaf captured the 76-kilogram middleweight title after defeating Sri Lankan fighter Isuru, giving him his second professional Muay Thai championship within months. Danial finished runner-up after facing Sri Lanka’s Fahad in another bout on the same card.
The championship, staged at Colombo’s Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, brought together fighters from Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Maldives, France, Australia, Iran and India.
The international field offered fighters not only professional competition but also exposure and opportunities to strengthen their standing on the regional circuit.
For the Maldives, the two podium finishes are notable because its presence in professional Muay Thai remains relatively new.
Muay Thai, the Thai combat sport built around punches, kicks, knees and elbow strikes, has developed an extensive international competitive circuit, but Maldivian fighters have only recently begun recording significant professional results abroad.
Eelaf has been at the center of that breakthrough.
In February, he became the first Maldivian athlete to win a professional Muay Thai championship, taking gold at the Unleashed 002 Pro Fight Night in Sri Lanka.
That landmark victory came against Sri Lankan national champion Pradeep, a 16-time title winner, and established Eelaf as the No. 1 contender in Sri Lanka’s 72-kilogram Muay Thai division.
His latest championship represents another step forward. Competing this time at 76 kilograms, Eelaf secured a second professional title only months after his historic first, strengthening a record that is rapidly establishing him on the regional professional circuit.
Danial’s silver also reflects the emergence of another young Maldivian fighter with experience across multiple combat disciplines.
He first represented the Maldives internationally at the 2024 WBC Muay Thai Sri Lanka Battle of the Titans, where he won silver and became one of the youngest Maldivian fighters to compete at that level.
Danial expanded into professional kickboxing the following year, winning the 57-kilogram title at the CBJ Fight Night Pro Kickboxing Tournament in Sri Lanka and becoming one of the Maldives’ first and youngest K-1 kickboxing champions.
His latest runner-up finish adds another international result to a career spanning both Muay Thai and kickboxing.
Taken together, the performances in Colombo give the Maldives more than two individual podium finishes.
They underline the country’s emerging place in professional combat sports, with a new generation of fighters beginning to turn appearances at overseas tournaments into championship titles and sustained international results.
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