Indian mixed martial art fighter Suchika Tariyal created history at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, winning a bronze medal in the women’s Traditional MMA 60kg category. Her podium finish is India’s first-ever medal in mixed martial arts at the Asian Games, where MMA is making its debut this year.
The 36-year-old secured her place in the semifinals after defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinal. Reaching the last four guaranteed Tariyal at least a bronze medal, giving India a historic moment in a combat sport that has only recently entered the Asian Games programme.
Tariyal’s semifinal goes down to the wire
Tariyal faced Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo in the semifinal. The closely contested bout went through regulation and overtime before the result was eventually decided under the competition's tiebreak procedure.
Following a review of the bout, the contest was declared a draw. The next tiebreak criterion was the fighters’ pre-competition weight. Teo was around 700 grams lighter than Tariyal and was therefore awarded the semifinal victory. Tariyal consequently advanced no further but retained the bronze medal as one of the semifinalists.
The result brought a dramatic end to Tariyal’s gold-medal hopes, but the Indian fighter still walked away with a landmark achievement. Her bronze is now part of the history of MMA at the Asian Games.
A long combat-sports journey
Tariyal’s sporting background extends well beyond MMA. She began training in judo and went on to become an eight-time national champion. She represented India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in judo and also competed in kurash at the Asian Games.
Her career later expanded into jiu-jitsu and MMA. In 2024, Tariyal won a gold medal at the Ju-Jitsu World Championships in the 63kg category. She subsequently continued competing in MMA and represented India at international competitions before earning her place at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Tariyal’s experience across different combat disciplines proved valuable during her Asian Games campaign. After her quarterfinal victory, she spoke about following her coach’s strategy, with takedowns, ground-and-pound and submission attempts forming an important part of her approach.
A landmark moment for Indian MMA
MMA’s inclusion in the Asian Games provides the sport with a major international platform in Asia. Tariyal’s medal gives India an early milestone in the discipline and adds another achievement to her multi-sport combat career.
While the semifinal result ended her campaign before the gold-medal bout, Tariyal leaves Aichi-Nagoya with a historic bronze and the distinction of becoming India’s first Asian Games MMA medallist.
Her achievement also marks an important moment for Indian MMA athletes looking to compete at major multi-sport events in the future.
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