India was confirmed a historic first-ever Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) medal at the Asian Games 2026 after Suchika Tariyal defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the women’s traditional 60kg category on Sunday in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. MMA is one of the six sports which are making its debut at the Games.
The 36-year-old Suchika, who had earlier appeared for television reality show Roadies, will either face Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo or Iran’s Arezou Salimighalehtaki for a place in the gold medal match.
Like in boxing, a place in the semifinals assures an athlete of at least a bronze medal in MMA. The other five disciplines making its debut at Asian Games in 2026 are freestyle BMX, teqball, padel, surfing, and virtual taekwondo.
Tariyal’s medal-winning run is the latest chapter in a sporting journey that saw her represent India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games. She was also crowned Jiu-Jitsu world champion in 2024.
After stepping away from sport, Tariyal returned to competition after being encouraged by friends and chose MMA as her new challenge. She has since battled through a knee injury and several hurdles to make her Asian Games debut in the sport.
Against Baigalmaa, who is ranked 92nd in the Eurasia region, Tariyal controlled the contest to seal a 2-0 victory and a place in the last four.
More to follow…
