Suchika Tariyal Secures Historic Bronze, Becomes First Indian to Win an MMA Medal at Asian Games

Suchika Tariyal created history at the 2026 Asian Games by becoming the first Indian athlete to win a medal in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), securing a bronze in the women’s traditional -60kg category. The 36-year-old Indian fighter’s campaign came to an end in the semi-final against Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon. Tariyal fought hard throughout the contest and managed to take the bout into overtime, but the judges ultimately awarded the victory to her Singaporean opponent.

The result left Tariyal visibly disappointed. When the official called both fighters to the stage for the announcement, the Indian initially did not step forward, seemingly anticipating the outcome. After members of the Indian coaching staff encouraged her to go up, she eventually walked onto the stage but returned in tears. Despite the semi-final loss, Tariyal had already secured a bronze medal after defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarter-final on Sunday. Her achievement marks a significant moment for Indian combat sports, with MMA making its debut at the 2026 Asian Games.

The 2026 edition has also introduced several other sports, including BMX, teqball, padel, surfing and virtual taekwondo. Tariyal’s medal therefore becomes part of the inaugural MMA chapter in Asian Games history. Tariyal has had a long and varied career in combat sports. She first made her MMA debut in 2017 but subsequently took a seven-year break from the discipline while continuing to compete in judo and Ju-Jitsu. In 2024, she signed a multi-year contract with BRAVE Combat Federation in the Womens Strawweight division and later returned to professional MMA competition at BRAVE CF 92 in Bahrain in December 2024.

Born in Rohtak, Haryana, Tariyal began her sporting journey at the age of 12. An incident involving eve-teasing motivated her to take up judo, initially as a means of self-defence. She went on to establish herself as an accomplished judoka and represented India at more than 20 international competitions. Tariyal is an eight-time National Judo Champion and has won gold medals at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships and the 2019 South Asian Games. She also competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in the womens -57kg category, where she reached the bronze-medal bout but narrowly missed out on a podium finish.

Away from competition, Tariyal has also served in public-sector roles. She was appointed as a Head Constable in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) before joining the Department of Sports, Haryana, as a Junior Coach. Her bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games now adds a historic achievement to an already distinguished combat-sports career, while giving India its first-ever MMA medal at the continental multi-sport event.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Hindustan Times.