February 05, 2021
SINGAPORE: Pakistani mixed martial arts (MMA) star Ahmed 'The Wolverine' Mujtaba destroyed India's Rahul Raju in ONE Championship's first round, with his opponent gone in 60 seconds.
The MMA fighter, who hails from Quetta and debuted in 2013, ducked an overhand right and countered Raju of India with a punch of his own, finishing him in just the opening minute of their fight.
The referee had to intervene as Raju immediately fell to the canvas and Mujtaba followed up with another strike. The Pakistani fighter's win in the first round of One Championship — Asia’s biggest MMA promotion — took his career record to 8-2, while his Indian counterpart's fell to 7-6.
A graduate of the Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), the 35-year-old's return marks his first fight in nearly three years when he lost to Jia Wen Ma.
After March 2018, several bouts, including two with Raju and one with Eduard Folayang, were scrapped. In 2016, he toppled Singapore's highly-rated Benedict Ang, continuing his four-year spree of wins until losing to Keanu Subba in 2017.