Nagoya, September 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India suffered a setback in mixed martial arts at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after Varun Sanyal withdrew from his men’s Traditional -77kg quarterfinal on Sunday on medical grounds.
Sanyal, who had received a bye in the preliminary round, was scheduled to face Bahrain’s Mukhammad Nabiev in the last eight. However, he pulled out after experiencing generalised cramps and body ache while in the sauna at his cruise accommodation on Saturday evening.
The Indian fighter underwent a medical examination and precautionary blood tests, which returned normal. However, he was not fully fit when he woke up the following morning.
After consulting his coach, Sanyal decided to withdraw from the competition on medical grounds, allowing Nabiev to advance to the semifinals.
A fan of Rocky Balboa, Sanyal developed his initial interest in combat sports after watching WWE and TNA. He was also inspired by Indian wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt at the 2012 Olympics, which further drew him towards MMA.
“Seeing our Olympians succeed really drew me towards martial arts and eventually towards MMA,” Varun had told SAI Media.
“MMA is, in many ways, the most primal form of sport and competition, so I was naturally drawn to it. It’s also a life skill,” he added.
Sanyal said MMA had taught him skills such as defending himself, staying calm under pressure and making decisions during physically challenging situations.
While Sanyal’s withdrawal ended India’s hopes of a potential medal in the men’s event, Suchika Tariyal assured the country of its first MMA medal at the Asian Games.
Suchika defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the women’s Traditional -60kg quarterfinal to secure a semifinal berth.
She will next compete 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 Suchika reaching the semifinals, India has already secured a medal in MMA at its first appearance on the Asian Games programme.
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