Manama, Bahrain, October 26, 2025: The historic moment Bahrain had waited for patiently for years finally came to fruition on Saturday night, October 25, with a golden hat-trick in mixed martial arts.
Inside a packed Exhibition World Bahrain, with the President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa also watching, three Bahraini athletes delivered the golden goods.
Eldar Eldarov began the joyous campaign winning the Boys’ 60kg modern MMA final by forcing a neck submission on his opponent. This was followed minutes later by Abdulakim Babaev who cut and pasted the previous feat in the Boys’ 65kg category.
The icing on the cake was delivered by Ibragim Khalidov who completed the dream treble in the Boys’ 70kg class – three bouts, three submissions, three gold medals all added up to the first time Bahrain had reached the top of the podium at the Asian Youth Games.
Bahrain media reported that Shaikh Khalid, who is also the First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and President of the General Sports Authority had commended the home heroes for their strong performance, expressing pride in their achievements.
Shaikh Khalid noted that these results embodied the continued progress of Bahraini sports and the development of national talent in combat discipline.
The three gold medals pushed Bahrain into the top-10 in the medal standings - at ninth.
The Daily Tribune which splashed photos of the winning trio on its front page on Sunday, October 26, added Shaikh Khalid had underscored the importance of building on these accomplishments and emphasised his support for athletes as they continued to pursue success in future regional and international competitions.
