Asian Games: Suchika wins historic bronze medal for India in MMA

India's Suchika Tariyal signed off with a bronze medal in the women's traditional 60kg mixed martial arts event after losing 0-2 to Singapore's Hui Hoon Teo in the extra round of their semifinal at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Monday. The 36-year-old had represented India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.This was India's maiden medal in the discipline that made its debut at the 20th edition of the Games. Tariyal, however, was shattered by the result and wept bitterly on the mat once the final decision was announced in Teo's favour.

A historic first for India at the Asian Games! ????????

Heartiest congratulations to Suchika Tariyal on winning Bronze in the Women’s Traditional 60kg MMA event, securing India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in Mixed Martial Arts.

Wishing her many more victories and milestones in the… pic.twitter.com/t9CbKnjKoA

— Rekha Gupta (@gupta_rekha) September 21, 2026

The bronze took India's overall medal tally to six at the continental showpiece. Shooters have bagged four silver medals and one bronze so far.Hailing from Kiloi village in Haryana's Rohtak district, the 36-year-old Suchika is a 2024 world champion in jiu-jitsu, represented the country in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in judo and as a kurash fighter at the 2022 Asian Games.
The closely-fought bout was initially ruled in Teo's favour but after an Indian challenge, the result was declared a draw with six judges rendering split decision. The winner was then determined on the basis of weights of the fighters during the morning weigh-in under the international federation's rules. Since the Singaporean weighed 700gm lesser than Suchika, she was declared the winner and advanced to the final. Suchika settled for bronze.
The bout was so close that both rounds of two minutes each were split 1-1 by the three judges. One of the three judges in both the rounds gave 10-10 to both the fighters. After the regulation two rounds, the three judges could not come to a verdict. One judge gave 19 points each to the two fighters. One gave 19-20 and the other ruled 20-19 in Suchika's favour. Suchika from Haryana took up combat sports after facing street harassment as a 12-year-old and went on to become a multi-discipline combat sport athlete.
President Droupadi Murmu has congratulated Suchika Tariyal on creating history by winning the Bronze Medal in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) at the Asian Games 2026, being held in Nagoya, Japan. In a social media post, the President said that this achievement holds special significance for Indian sport, as it marks the debut of MMA at the Games. 
President Murmu has also congratulated Himanshu Dhillon on winning the Silver Medal in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Individual Final and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil on securing the Bronze Medal in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Individual event at the Games. She said that their impressive performance reflects focus, dedication and sporting excellence. She wished them continued success and many more accomplishments in the years ahead.