Aya Saeid Saber

Aya Saeid Saber
Born	(1991-03-20) 20 March 1991 (age 33) Cairo, Egypt
Other names	Sheklesa
Residence	Cairo
Nationality	Egyptian
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight	127 lb (58 kg; 9 st 1 lb)
Division	Flyweight (125 lb)
Style	Kung Fu; Kickboxing
Fighting out of	Cairo
Team	Egypt Top Team
Trainer	Mohamed Abdel Hameed
Years active	2012–2018 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	11
Wins	3
By knockout	1
By submission	1
By decision	1
Losses	8
By knockout	3
By submission	4
By decision	1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Aya Saeid Saber (born 20 March 1991), also known as "Sheklesa", is a mixed martial artist, who is the first woman from Egypt to compete professionally in the sport.

Biography

Saber was born on 20 March 1991.^[1] Her interest in martial arts began as a child when she earned a brown belt in karate in 2000.^[2] From there she joined the Egyptian National Kung Fu team, winning competitions with them.^[2] She then met Mohamed Abdel Hameed, a coach who introduced MMA to Egypt and established the Top Team - Egypt's MMA squad.^[2][3] Saber is the only woman in the team and is also the first woman from Egypt to compete in the sport.^[2] She coaches a new generation of women to become mixed martial artists; ultimately she intends to establish Egypt's first all-female MMA team.^[2] She recognises that in Egypt, where in 2013 over 99% of women had experienced sexual harassment, it is important for women to develop the skills in order to physically defend themselves from men.^[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Egyptian Fighting Championship

Saber made her professional MMA debut on 7 October 2012 in the Egyptian Fighting Championship (EFC), defeating Fatma Mansour.^[4] After appearing in two Superfight League matches, she returned to the EFC, losing against Yousra Ahmed on 3 May 2013.^[5] In March 2014 she beat Aya Rashdan in the EFC.^[6]

Super Fight League

In 2012 she next fought Colleen Schneider at SFL 6, which Schneider won after stopping Saber from elbow strikes in the first round.^[7] Saber's next match was against Ritika Singh at SF 11, which Singh won.^[8]

One Championship

Saber fought Ana Julaton on 2 May 2014, where the boxer made her ONE Fighting Championship: Rise of Heroes debut. Julaton's fight debut was successful and she won the fight via TKO in the third round, despite commentators in advance expecting Saber to take the fight.^[6][9] On 17 October 2014 she took on Malaysian Muslim fighter Ann Osman at Stadium Putra, watched by 10,000 fans.^[10] Osman beat Saber in the first round.^[10]

In 2015, she returned to the One Championship and was defeated by Angela Lee in Round 1.^[11] This match was Lee's professional debut, although she had previously fought as an amateur and was well known in her home of Hawai'i.^[12]

Evolution Championship

On 27 March 2015, Saber beat Fathia Mostafa in the Evolution Championship with a TKO (punches).^[13]

Kunlun Fight

Saber's final fight in 2015 was against Jin Tang in the Kunlun Fight League, where Tang beat her in Round 1.^[14]

Glory of Heroes

In 2018 saber fought in the Glory of Heroes promotion, where she was defeated by Meng Bo.^[15]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

11 matches	3 wins	8 losses
By knockout	1	3
By submission	1	4
By decision	1	1

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	3–8	Meng Bo	Submission (armbar)	Glory of Heroes 35: Meishan	October 12, 2018	1	N/A	Sichuan, China
Loss	3–7	Jin Tang	Submission (armbar)	Kunlun Fight 34	November 21, 2015	1	1:58	Shenzhen, China
Loss	3–6	Angela Lee	Submission (armbar)	ONE: Warrior's Quest	May 22, 2015	1	1:43	Kallang, Singapore
Win	3–5	Fathia Mostafa	TKO (punches)	Evolution Championship: War Against Terrorism	March 27, 2015	1	3:00	Cairo, Egypt
Loss	2–5	Ann Osman	TKO (elbows)	ONE FC: Roar of Tigers	October 17, 2014	1	3:15	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Loss	2–4	Ana Julaton	TKO (punches)	ONE FC: Rise of Heroes	May 2, 2014	3	4:01	Pasay, Philippines
Win	2–3	Aya Rashdan	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Egyptian Fighting Championship 14	March 29, 2014	1	3:10	Cairo, Egypt
Loss	1–3	Yousra Ahmed	Submission (guillotine choke)	Egyptian Fighting Championship 10	May 3, 2013	2	2:49	Cairo, Egypt
Loss	1–2	Ritika Singh	Decision (unanimous)	SFL 11	November 30, 2012	3	5:00	Mumbai, India
Loss	1–1	Colleen Schneider	TKO (elbows)	SFL 6	October 26, 2012	1	3:55	Mumbai, India
Win	1–0	Fatma Mansour	Decision (unanimous)	Egyptian Fighting Championship 8	October 7, 2012	3	5:00	Cairo, Egypt

Personal life

Saber is married and has a daughter.^[2]

References

1. "Aya Saied Saber ("Shekisa") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
2. Farouk, Menna A. (10 January 2021). "Egypt's first MMA fighter blazes trail for more women". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
3. "Sherdog.com: UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) News, Results, Fighting". Sherdog. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
4. "Aya Saeid Saber vs Fatma Mansour Fight Result EFC - Egyptian Fighti..." www.mma-core.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
5. "Yousra Ahmed". MMA-Core. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
6. "Aya Saeid Saber to provide tough test for Julaton's MMA debut". Dojo Drifter. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
7. "SFL 6 Colleen Schneider vs Aya Saeid Saber". Fighter Girls®. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
8. "Ritika Singh vs Aya Saeid Saber Fight Result SFL 11 - Super Fight L..." www.mma-core.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
9. Larano, Cris (3 May 2014). "Filipina Fighters Punch Their Way to Victories in MMA Debut". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
10. "Women Warrior: Female MMA Fighter Leads by Example". Time. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
11. "Fight Odds | MMA Betting Odds, News and Analysis". fightodds.io. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
12. "The 5 Most Memorable Bouts Of Angela Lee's Career". Evolve MMA Singapore. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
13. "Aya Saeid : Official MMA Fight Record (1-2-0) : The Underground". www.mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
14. "Jin Tang | MMA | Awakening Fighters". awakeningfighters.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
15. "Bo Meng | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 14 January 2021.

External links

• Egypt: The story of the country’s first female MMA fighter