Sonam Zomba overcame early pressure from Brazil’s Maristela Alves to defend her strawweight title at Matrix Fight Night 18 in Greater Noida. She sealed the win with a third-round armbar.
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Arunachal Pradesh fighter Sonam Zomba kept her strawweight championship belt at Matrix Fight Night 18, held at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Indoor Stadium in Greater Noida. The main event was against Brazil’s experienced fighter Maristela Alves and was seen as one of Zomba’s most difficult matches so far.
Alves started the fight with clear physical advantages, especially reach, and pushed forward with aggressive striking from the beginning. This forced Zomba to stay cautious and focus more on defense in the early exchanges.
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Instead of matching strikes, she waited for openings and looked for chances to bring the fight to the ground.
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Zomba slowly adapted to Alves’ pressure as the rounds progressed. She avoided heavy damage while looking for a safe entry into close-range control. The fight remained competitive.
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The turning point came in the third round when Zomba timed a double-leg takedown perfectly. She brought Alves down to the mat and quickly moved into a strong position. From there, she advanced into full mount by limiting her opponent’s movement and escape options.
Once in control, Zomba secured an armbar submission. Alves was unable to defend the hold and tapped out at 2:14 of the third round ending the contest.
The result confirmed Zomba’s successful defense of her strawweight title under the Matrix Fight Night banner, which she first won at MFN 17.
With this win, her professional MMA record improved to 7 wins and 1 loss. The performance also marked her second successful title defense in the division.
After the fight, Zomba spoke about her victory and dedicated it to her home state of Arunachal Pradesh and its people. She also mentioned the importance of her journey for young athletes, especially women from the Northeast, who are looking at combat sports as a career option.
The win drew attention from across India. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu congratulated her, saying the performance brought pride to the state and could motivate young sportspersons.
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