Itanagar May 2: The 27 year old, Arunachal Pradesh MMA star Sonam Zomba will defend her MFN Women’s Strawweight Championship against Brazil’s Maristela Alves in the main event of Matrix Fight Night 18 tonight at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Indoor Sports Complex. The bout will be live-streamed on JioHotstar.

Zomba will be entering the octagon on a seven-fight unbeaten streak since her 2022 comeback. Training under coach Bhawajit Choudhury at Bidang MMA & Fitness Gym in Assam, Zomba won the vacant title at MFN 17 by defeating Russia’s Anna Safeeva via unanimous decision, earning praise for her grappling control and tactical discipline.

Her run includes stoppage wins, unanimous decisions, and a ground-and-pound finish over Shiyin Tan in February last year. She also holds a kickboxing win at Bidang Fighting Championship.

Zomba’s professional MMA career began in 2018 with a first-round TKO loss to Kiran Singh. After a four-year break, she returned in 2022 with back-to-back finishes, starting her current streak.

Tonight’s fight against seasoned Brazilian Maristela Alves is seen as career-defining for Zomba and a proud moment for Arunachal Pradesh. A win would cement her status as India’s top female strawweight and could open doors to bigger global MMA platforms.