Aichi-Nagoya, September 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian MMA wrestler Varun Sanyal backed Suchika Tariyal after her controversial semifinal defeat at the Asian Games, saying he was confident that the Indian had done enough to win despite the judges’ decision going against her.
“I was quite confident that she won. I was sitting with a bunch of people, including PT Usha ma’am who also thought that she had won. But hey, what can you do? Sometimes decisions aren’t in your favour, it’s in the judge’s hands,” Varun told IANS.
Tariyal narrowly lost to Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo in the women’s traditional -60kg semifinal on Monday. The defeat ended her hopes of winning gold but secured her a historic bronze medal, making her the first Indian athlete to win an Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts.
The 36-year-old was visibly disappointed after the result, particularly after recording a convincing 2-0 victory over Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the quarterfinals on Sunday.
Despite the semifinal setback, Varun emphasised the significance of Tariyal’s achievement at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
“She has won a bronze and the whole country should still be proud of her,” he said.
Tariyal’s medal has opened a new chapter for Indian MMA, which is making its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya. Varun said the sport has made considerable progress but still needs greater recognition and support in the country.
“So much of the sport has moved forward. You know PM Modi and the government. Yeah, there is a lot being done for the sport but what I will say is this is a relatively new sport in the country,” he said.
Varun said the sport had faced challenges in getting wider recognition and building public support, while acknowledging the receptive approach of Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha.
He said the next step should be to bring more people into the sport and demonstrate its potential to produce medals for India.
“We saw people bring back medals last year at the Asian Youth Games and now at the Asian Games,” he said.
Varun also called for greater institutional support, including government funding and formal recognition for the Mixed Martial Arts Sports Federation of India (MMASFI), to create a stronger development pathway for young athletes.
“Proper government funding needs to start coming in. Proper recognition needs to be given to the body, the federation that has brought us here, the MMASFI. I think that’s critical because from there you can build grassroots programmes,” he said.
He added that stronger support could help develop young talent, bring in quality coaches and prevent athletes and coaches from moving to overseas academies.
Reflecting on his own Asian Games campaign, Varun said the experience had not ended as he had hoped but that he was now focused on his professional career after making the transition earlier this year.
“The Asian Games campaign didn’t end well for me. The whole process was a bit messy but it is what it is. That’s sport, that’s life. So we move on,” he said.
Varun added that he turned professional in June and would continue working towards establishing himself in MMA while hoping to inspire more Indians to take up the sport.
While Tariyal missed out on a place in the gold-medal bout, her bronze has given Indian MMA its first Asian Games medal and provided a historic platform for the sport’s development at the continental level.
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