My name is Iyamide Mahalia Coniah – although most people know me as Mahalia. I’m an amateur Muay
Thai Fighter out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with heritage from Sierra Leone.

My journey with Muay Thai came after a number of major life changes; having the courage to leave an
abusive relationship and toxic work-environment to then meeting my now fiancée who happens to be a
Professional MMA Fighter, my coach and my biggest supporter who is always in my corner. I started
learning Muay Thai from regular Date Nights at the gym, that eventually turned into taking classes and
to then becoming slightly obsessed with the growth I was noticing in my skills. After nine short months
of training in 2019, my coach looked at me and said “Want to fight?” to which I replied “Sure why not!”.
I came home with my first Win before my 30 th Birthday … and the rest is history.

Most recently, in June 2023; I had the opportunity to compete at the WBC World Championships in
Venice, Italy and fought to bring home a silver medal for Team Canada. My amateur record as of August
2023 is 5-3 for Muay Thai (1 being by TKO) and 2-0 Boxing (1 being by TKO).
My background in sports began shortly after a major life altering event … when I watched my father pass
away from tragically drowning when I was 6 years old – my life changed forever. This catapulted me into
becoming a competitive swimmer, which I’m forever grateful for, as it provided me an outlet of therapy
to heal and grow into the person I am today. Throughout the years, I was thankful to have also
competed in Track & Field, Basketball and Baseball.

What I most appreciate about the Art of Muay Thai and sport in general is that you’re never done
learning. This sport has not only brought an amazing community of athletes and people into my life, it
has provided me with a renewed confidence, passion and drive to impart my knowledge on future
generations who may want to learn something new and maybe one day step into the ring like I did.