Nagoya, Sept 2026 : Indian mixed martial artist Suchika Tariyal created history on Sunday by becoming the country’s first athlete to win an Asian Games medal in MMA after advancing to the women’s traditional -60kg semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
The 36-year-old Indian delivered a composed performance against Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa, registering a 2-0 victory in the quarterfinal to book her place in the last four. Her semifinal qualification has assured India at least a bronze medal in MMA, which is making its debut at the Asian Games.
Tariyal’s historic achievement is the latest milestone in a career defined by versatility across combat sports. A national-level judoka, she represented India at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where she reached the bronze-medal bout. She subsequently competed in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.
Her journey across disciplines eventually saw her establish herself at the highest level of Jiu-Jitsu. In 2024, Tariyal won a world title in fighting Jiu-Jitsu, adding another major achievement to her growing combat sports résumé.
MMA later emerged as another challenge for the Indian fighter. Tariyal made her professional MMA debut in 2017 and won her opening bout. However, she subsequently spent seven years away from the sport while concentrating on judo and Jiu-Jitsu.
She eventually returned to MMA and signed a multi-fight contract with BRAVE Combat Federation in November 2024, competing in the Women’s Strawweight division. Her comeback was not without challenges, including a knee injury, but encouragement from friends helped convince her to return to competitive MMA.
Tariyal has also gained public recognition beyond the sporting arena through an earlier appearance on the television reality show Roadies.
Her unconventional journey has now culminated in a landmark achievement at the Asian Games. Tariyal will next compete for a place in the gold-medal bout, with her semifinal opponent set to be either Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo or Iran’s Arezou Salimighalehtaki.
MMA is among six sports making their Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya. The other debut disciplines are freestyle BMX, teqball, padel, surfing and virtual taekwondo.
With Tariyal’s semifinal qualification, India has already secured a medal in MMA at its first appearance on the Asian Games programme. Whatever the outcome of her next bout, Tariyal’s historic run has ensured that India will return from the inaugural Asian Games MMA competition with a landmark medal.
