How Omar Ahmed is turning combat sports into Pakistan’s tool for global recognition | Sports
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The passion of the chicken serves the purpose, it creates history, and Omar Ahmed’s story is just right. His recent appointment to the AMF Police Sports Commission, along with a nomination for the AMF Continuity Awards, is not only a personal victory but a defining moment for Pakistan’s footprint in the global Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) landscape.
Following his selection as the South Asia Director, Ahmed has now joined an elite circle within the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMFAF), an organization that combines combat sports with law enforcement training worldwide. The Police Sports Commission aims to integrate MMA-based combat and fitness training into the police curriculum, increasing officers’ flexibility, composure and decision-making under pressure. It also seeks to establish inter-police MMA competitions, promoting global camaraderie among law enforcement agencies from Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
For Pakistan, Ahmed’s appointment represents much more than individual recognition. It is a strategic entry into the global discourse of sports diplomacy, policing, and institutional development. It has placed Pakistan at the same table as countries shaping future standards in strategic training and youth engagement through sports, a space where Pakistan’s presence was long overdue.
Educated in London with dual master’s degrees in strategic communications and security and risk management, Umar Ahmed’s life reflects an extraordinary fusion of intellect, athleticism and leadership. A former professional kickboxer turned entrepreneur, he is the founder of Train2Saver, a UK-based security training enterprise that became the official contractor for the London Olympics, a project he exited after consolidating its success in the UK.
Now serving as director of Provost Security, one of Pakistan’s largest private security providers, Ahmed oversees high-risk national operations, and has integrated his tactical experience into strategic oversight. Yet, his influence extends beyond boardrooms and battlefields, it lives on in the gym, where his true fighting plan has reshaped young lives through combat sports.
The initiative, recently nominated for the AMIF Sustainability Awards in Georgia, is a testament to Ahmed’s vision to use MMA as a tool for mental health, social rehabilitation, and leadership development.
It teaches youth to master aggression, develop emotional control, and channel stress into performance, essential traits not only for warriors but also for resilient citizens.
Ahmed’s journey through the counter-destabilization and de-radicalization sectors during the height of the war on terror also shaped his philosophy. Through structured training and guidance, it helped vulnerable youth re-enter society with discipline and purpose. This intersection of security, sport and social reform defines its mission, to use combat sports as a national tool for empowerment.
His experience with Pakistan’s elite forces is equally remarkable. As a guest instructor at the Special Operations School in Cherat, Ahmed designed and delivered unarmed combat training programs for SSG commandos, a role he describes as “the highest honor of my professional life”. He later extended the initiative to the National Police Academy, where MMA-based resilience and defensive tactics now form part of the curriculum for preparing the next generation of Pakistan’s police leadership.
When the institutional system broke down, Ahmed stepped in personally. In a striking example, he flew to Dubai to secure the release of Pakistani fighter Rizwan Ali from airport detention after multiple visa denials, ensuring his participation in the ACA Championships in Russia, where Pakistan faced India in a historic MMA venue. Such interventions, done quietly and without fanfare, show Ahmed’s commitment to the players he believes in.
He is also the only private sponsor in Pakistan who has consistently funded national MMA athletes from his own resources to compete in the Umph Asian and World Championships.
His leadership saw Pakistan’s contingent of medals at the 2024 AMF World Championships in Georgia, despite the country being on the entry blacklist, an achievement only possible through his direct diplomacy and persistence.
From Russia to Bahrain, Ahmed continues to build bridges between federations, sponsors and fighters, creating a global ecosystem where Pakistani MMA can thrive. His dream is very achievable: to create a self-sustaining MMA economy in Pakistan, rivaling cricket in scale but transcending substance, a sport that inspires, employs and empowers.
Focused, battle-tested, and deeply patriotic, Umar Ahmed represents the evolution of Pakistani leadership, individuals who succeed abroad and return home not for profit, but for purpose. From royal protection duties to training Pakistan’s commandos, kickboxing rings true.
As Pakistan’s flag now flies in the UMF’s global governance structure, it carries the weight of Ahmed’s countless pursuits, to make the world see Pakistan not just as a participant, but as a pioneer in using war sports as a force for unity, discipline and national transformation.
