Owais Yaqoob has emerged as one of India’s fastest-rising mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, attracting attention after a statement victory over Delyan Georgiev, a training partner of UFC champion Ilia Topuria, at BRAVE CF 107.
The win marked another significant step in the career of the fighter from Jammu and Kashmir, who is aiming to establish himself among the sport’s elite and eventually earn a place in the UFC.
From Pulwama to the global MMA stage
Born in 1998 in Murran village in Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, Yaqoob began training in taekwondo and kickboxing around 2012 before transitioning to mixed martial arts.
He won more than a dozen medals in national martial arts competitions before shifting his focus to professional MMA as the sport’s popularity grew.
Giving back to the community
Away from competition, Yaqoob founded the Lion’s Den Martial Arts Academy in Pulwama in 2015 with the aim of providing local youngsters with opportunities through combat sports.
The academy has since trained more than 200 aspiring athletes, helping promote martial arts and fitness among youth in the region.
Learning from early setbacks
Yaqoob made his professional MMA debut at Matrix Fight Night (MFN) 11 in New Delhi in 2023, suffering a third-round submission defeat.
Rather than allowing the loss to derail his progress, he focused on improving his wrestling and ground game by training in Dagestan, Russia, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading centres for wrestling and MMA development.
The experience strengthened his grappling skills and helped him return with a string of victories in India, Kazakhstan and China.
Historic BRAVE CF breakthrough
Yaqoob became the first fighter from Jammu and Kashmir to compete and win under the BRAVE Combat Federation banner, one of the Middle East’s leading MMA promotions.
His latest victory over Georgiev, who has trained alongside UFC champion Ilia Topuria, further enhanced his reputation and showcased the progress he has made since his professional debut.
Eyes on the UFC
Known for combining aggressive striking with improved wrestling, Yaqoob has increasingly finished opponents inside the distance rather than relying on judges’ decisions.
With momentum building, the Indian fighter has set his sights on securing a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and becoming one of the country’s leading representatives on MMA’s biggest stage.
