Suchika Tariyal Secures Historic Bronze for India in Asian Games MMA

India’s first Asian Games campaign in mixed martial arts ended with a historic bronze medal, with Suchika Tariyal becoming the country’s first MMA medallist at the continental Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

MMA made its Asian Games debut in 2026, and India entered the competition with two athletes — Suchika in the women’s traditional 60-kilogram category and Varun Sanyal in the men’s traditional 77-kg division.

Tariyal delivered India’s landmark result, defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinals to secure a place in the semifinals and guarantee the country its first medal in the sport at the Asian Games.

Her run ended in a dramatic semifinal against Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo. The bout was initially awarded to Teo, but the Indian camp challenged the decision and the result was subsequently changed to a draw. Under the competition's tiebreak rules, the lighter athlete advances when the contest remains tied. Teo was around 700 grams lighter than Tariyal at the morning weigh-in and advanced to the final, leaving the Indian with bronze.

The result ended Tariyal’s bid for a place in the gold-medal bout but gave India a place on the podium in MMA’s first appearance at the Games.

India’s other representative, Varun Sanyal, was unable to compete. The 28-year-old withdrew from the men’s 77-kg event on medical grounds after experiencing cramps and body aches while preparing for the competition. He was medically examined and later ruled unfit to participate.

For the 36-year-old Tariyal, the medal added another chapter to a combat sports career that has included judo, kurash, jiu-jitsu and MMA. She had represented India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games before making the transition to MMA.