NEW DELHI: Owais Yaqoob, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, is rapidly emerging as one of India’s brightest combat sports talents after a string of impressive performances on the international stage.
The 1998 born fighter recently grabbed global attention with a statement victory over Delyan Georgiev at BRAVE CF 107. Georgiev is a training and sparring partner of UFC champion Ilia Topuria, making the win a significant milestone in Yaqoob’s growing career and reinforcing his credentials among the sport’s rising stars.
Born in the village of Murran in Pulwama, Yaqoob began his sporting journey in 2012 with taekwondo and kickboxing. His dedication and talent helped him win more than a dozen national medals across various martial arts disciplines before he shifted his focus to mixed martial arts as the sport gained popularity worldwide.
Determined to nurture young talent in his home region, Yaqoob established the Lion’s Den Martial Arts Academy in Pulwama in 2015. Since then, the academy has trained more than 200 young athletes, providing opportunities for aspiring martial artists while promoting fitness and discipline among local youth.
Yaqoob’s professional MMA journey began in 2023 at Matrix Fight Night 11 in New Delhi, where he suffered a third round submission defeat. Instead of allowing the setback to derail his ambitions, he travelled to Dagestan, Russia, one of the world’s leading centres for wrestling and MMA training, to strengthen his grappling and wrestling skills.
The decision proved transformative, with Yaqoob returning to record dominant victories in India, Kazakhstan and China. He also became the first fighter from Jammu and Kashmir to compete and win under the BRAVE Combat Federation, one of the Middle East’s leading MMA promotions.
With an aggressive fighting style backed by improved wrestling and striking, Yaqoob has firmly set his sights on earning a place in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and becoming one of India’s leading representatives on the global MMA stage.
