Egypt’s first female MMA fighter blazes trail for more women
Aya Saeid has become Egypt’s first MMA fighter by breaking stereotypes in the patriarchal society.
Egypt’s first female mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter has broken social stereotypes by pursuing a male-dominated sport and is now encouraging other women to follow suit.
“I started in 2000 as a karate player and took the brown belt. Then I joined the Kung Fu national team and won competitions with the team. When I succeeded in the sport, I decided to continue with them as well as join other similar sports,” Aya Saeid, 29, told Al-Monitor.
Then, Saeid, aka Sheklesa, met captain Mohamed Abdel Hameed who started the MMA sport in Egypt and established the Top Team. “He is a great mentor and I have always looked up to him. He trained me until I competed in world competitions,” Saeid said.
The Top Team is a mixed martial arts team, trained by Abdel Hameed. Saeid is the only woman in the team and the first woman to enter the sport in Egypt.
