Suchika Tariyal scripted history on Monday by becoming India’s first Asian Games medallist in mixed martial arts, securing bronze in the women’s traditional -60kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Tariyal’s campaign ended in the semifinals, where she suffered a narrow defeat to Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo in a bout that went into overtime. The Indian lost by the barest of margins, missing out on a place in the gold-medal contest but securing a podium finish in MMA’s Asian Games debut.
The 36-year-old was visibly distraught after the decision was announced. However, her bronze marked a landmark achievement for Indian MMA on the continental stage.
Tariyal had reached the semifinals after a composed 2-0 victory over Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the quarterfinals on Sunday, becoming the first Indian athlete to secure an Asian Games medal in MMA.
The bronze adds to a career spanning multiple combat disciplines. A national-level judoka, Tariyal represented India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she reached the bronze-medal bout, before competing in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.
She later established herself at the top level of Jiu-Jitsu, winning a world title in fighting Jiu-Jitsu in 2024.
Tariyal had also competed in MMA earlier, making her professional debut in 2017 and winning her first bout. She subsequently spent seven years away from the sport while pursuing judo and Jiu-Jitsu before returning to MMA and signing a multi-fight deal with BRAVE Combat Federation in November 2024.
Her comeback followed several setbacks, including a knee injury. She also gained public recognition through an appearance on the television reality show Roadies.
MMA is among six sports making their Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya, alongside freestyle BMX, teqball, padel, surfing and virtual taekwondo.
Although Tariyal missed out on a place in the final, her bronze has given India a historic first medal in MMA at the continental multi-sport event.
(IANS Inputs)
