Pakistan’s Girl from Hunza Is Going to Fight in the UFC’s Biggest Reality Show

Anita Karim, Pakistan’s first international female MMA fighter, has been selected for The Ultimate Fighter Season 34 — a moment years in the making for a fighter who built everything from scratch in a country where MMA barely existed.

She grew up sparring with her brothers in Hunza Valley. She helped build one of Pakistan’s first MMA gyms from the ground up. People in her own village told her it was a man’s sport. And now, Anita “The Arm Collector” Karim is headed to one of mixed martial arts’ most iconic stages — The Ultimate Fighter Season 34.

The UFC officially announced the full roster for TUF 34 in April 2026, and Karim’s name was right there among the women’s strawweight competitors. She becomes the first Pakistani fighter — male or female — to be selected for the long-running UFC reality competition series, which has historically launched the careers of names like Kamaru Usman, Rose Namajunas, and Forrest Griffin.

For Pakistan’s MMA community, this is not just a sports headline. It is a statement.

What Is The Ultimate Fighter Season 34?

The Ultimate Fighter, or TUF, is the UFC’s signature reality television series where up-and-coming fighters live together, train together, and compete in a bracket-style elimination tournament — all for the chance to win a UFC contract.

Season 34, officially titled The Ultimate Fighter: Team Cormier vs. Team Bisping, will feature two divisions: men’s bantamweight (135 lbs) and women’s strawweight (115 lbs). The season is set to premiere exclusively on Paramount+ in the United States, Latin America, and Australia on June 14, 2026 — the same night as UFC Freedom 250. New episodes will air every Tuesday throughout the 12-episode run.

Two UFC Hall of Famers are stepping in as rival coaches. Daniel Cormier, former double-champion in heavyweight and light heavyweight, returns after coaching TUF 33. Opposite him will be Michael Bisping, a former TUF winner himself and UFC middleweight champion. Their rivalry as commentators and analysts has long been entertaining on-screen — now it plays out in the coaching corner.

A total of 20 fighters were selected for the season, but only 16 will officially compete. Four fighters — two per division — will serve as alternates. Anita Karim is among the 10 women’s strawweights in the pool.

Anita Karim: The Fighter Who Built the Path Herself

To understand why this selection matters, you have to understand where Karim comes from.

She was born and raised in Karimabad, Hunza Valley — a remote mountainous region in Gilgit-Baltistan, far from the urban centers where combat sports typically develop in South Asia. Growing up in a family of fighters, she learned the basics sparring with her brothers, none of whom went easy on her. That turned out to be the best training she could have gotten.

When MMA barely had a footprint in Pakistan, Karim and her brothers — Uloomi, Ehtisham, and Ali Sultan — founded Fight Fortress, one of the first dedicated MMA training centers in the country. She did not just fight. She helped build the infrastructure for others to follow.

Her amateur career was dominant. She claimed seven gold medals and one silver at the Pakistan Grappling Challenge in the 2017–2018 season. She then moved to the international stage, competing in Asia’s leading promotion ONE Championship, where she won her ONE Warrior Series 4 bout in February 2019 — becoming the first Pakistani woman to win an international professional MMA bout.

At the time of her TUF 34 selection, Karim holds a professional record of 6 wins and 2 losses, competing in the women’s strawweight division. She now trains out of the Fairtex Training Centre in Pattaya, Thailand — one of the most respected striking gyms in the world — while also maintaining her coaching duties back home.

The Competition She Will Face in TUF 34

Karim will not be walking into easy territory. The women’s strawweight roster for TUF 34 is stacked with experience and unbeaten prospects.

• Natalia Alves (8-0) — Undefeated and considered one of the sharper strikers in the pool
• Melissa Amaya (8-0) — Another undefeated contender with a strong ground game
• Valesca Machado (15-4) — Veteran experience that few others in the bracket can match
• Hailai Wushamo (10-2) — A tested fighter with wins at regional levels across Asia

Others in the bracket include GiGi Canuto, Anna Melisano, Mackenzie Stiller, Delphine Benouaich, and Camila Reynoso. It is a genuinely competitive field with women from multiple continents.

Karim’s 6-2 record puts her in the experienced tier — not the flashiest record on paper, but she has competed internationally when most of these fighters were still in regional circuits. Her submission game, reflected in her nickname “The Arm Collector,” could be a real threat inside the TUF house.

Women’s Strawweight

“UFC Is the Ultimate Goal” — She Said It Long Before Anyone Believed It

Long before the UFC announcement, Karim had been clear about where she wanted to go. In an interview with Pakistan TV Digital after a title win earlier this year, she said it plainly: “My main goal is to reach the UFC.”

That was not just a quote for the camera. She moved to Thailand. She trained under elite-level coaches. She took fights away from home, in unfamiliar promotions, against opponents who had more resources and more support than she ever did.

Back in Pakistan, her story has already changed things. Young women now train at Fight Fortress. Her student Bushra Ahmed has spoken publicly about wanting to follow in Karim’s footsteps. Each time Karim returns from a fight abroad, there are crowds waiting for her at the airport.

That kind of cultural impact rarely gets measured in win-loss records.

Why This Moment Is Bigger Than One Fighter

Pakistan has never had a representative on The Ultimate Fighter. The show has been running since 2005 — over two decades of seasons featuring fighters from Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Thailand, and across Europe. South Asia has been almost entirely absent at this level.

Karim’s selection changes that.

She is not just competing for herself. She is competing on a platform that will be seen across the United States, Latin America, and Australia — by audiences who may never have considered that Pakistan even had an MMA scene. Every time she steps into the TUF house, she carries that context with her, whether she wants to or not.

And that is why the reaction in Pakistan has been so strong. It is not just sports fans who are paying attention. People who have never watched a UFC event in their lives are sharing the news.

What Comes Next?

The Ultimate Fighter Season 34 premieres on June 14, 2026, on Paramount+. The full 12-episode season will roll out every Tuesday following the debut.

If Karim wins the tournament, she earns a UFC contract — the clearest possible path to fighting on the biggest MMA stage in the world. Even for fighters who fall short in the bracket, TUF appearances have historically opened doors, leading to promotional deals and future fights within the UFC ecosystem.

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For Anita Karim, this is the moment she has been building toward for almost a decade. For Pakistan, it is something that has never happened before.

The girl from Hunza Valley is heading to the TUF house. And she is going there to collect arms.

Anita Karim & TUF 34

Follow Anita Karim on Instagram @karimanitamma for updates as TUF 34 approaches.