Nagoya, September 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Suchika Tariyal created history for Indian mixed martial arts on Sunday by becoming the country’s first athlete to secure an Asian Games medal in MMA after advancing to the women’s traditional -60kg semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
The 36-year-old delivered a composed performance against Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa, securing a 2-0 quarterfinal victory to enter the last four and guarantee India at least a bronze medal.
The achievement adds another milestone to Tariyal’s career, which has spanned multiple combat sports. A national-level judoka, she represented India at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, reaching the bronze-medal bout, before competing in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.
Her transition across disciplines eventually took her to the top of the Jiu-Jitsu world, with Tariyal winning a world title in fighting Jiu-Jitsu in 2024.
MMA became another challenge in her sporting journey. Tariyal made her professional MMA debut in 2017 and won her first bout, but subsequently spent seven years away from the sport while pursuing opportunities in judo and Jiu-Jitsu.
She returned to MMA competition and signed a multi-fight deal with BRAVE Combat Federation in November 2024 in the Women’s Strawweight division.
Her comeback was not without challenges, including a knee injury. Encouragement from friends eventually persuaded her to return to competition and resume her MMA journey. She had also gained public recognition through an earlier appearance on the television reality show Roadies.
Tariyal’s unconventional sporting journey has now culminated in a historic Asian Games achievement.
She will next fight for a place in the gold-medal contest against either Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo or Iran’s Arezou Salimighalehtaki.
MMA is among six sports making their Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya, alongside freestyle BMX, teqball, padel, surfing and virtual taekwondo.
With Tariyal’s semifinal qualification, India has secured a medal in MMA at the sport’s first appearance on the Asian Games programme.
Regardless of the result in the semifinals, Tariyal has ensured that India will leave the inaugural Asian Games MMA competition with a historic medal.
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