Indian Athlete Suchika Tariyal Wins Historic Bronze Medal in Asian Games Mixed Martial Arts Debut

: Suchika Tariyal scripted a milestone for Indian mixed martial arts on Monday, becoming the country’s first Asian Games medallist in the sport after winning bronze in the women’s traditional -60kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Games . Tariyal’s campaign came to an end in the semifinals after she suffered a narrow defeat to Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo in a bout that went into overtime. The closely contested encounter ended by the slimmest of margins, denying the Indian a place in the gold-medal bout while securing her a historic bronze. The 36-year-old was visibly disappointed after the result, but her medal marked a significant moment for Indian MMA as the sport made its Asian Games debut. Tariyal had secured her place in the semifinals with a composed 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa on Sunday. The win also made her the first Indian athlete to secure an Asian Games medal in MMA. The bronze adds another achievement to Tariyal’s career across several combat sports. A national-level judoka, she represented India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she reached the bronze-medal bout. She later competed in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games. Tariyal subsequently made her mark in Jiu-Jitsu, winning a world title in fighting Jiu-Jitsu in 2024. She had also competed professionally in MMA earlier, making her debut in 2017 and winning her opening bout. Tariyal then spent seven years away from MMA while focusing on judo and Jiu-Jitsu before returning to the sport. In November 2024, she signed a multi-fight contract with BRAVE Combat Federation. Her comeback followed several challenges, including a knee injury, while she also gained wider public attention through an appearance on the television reality show Roadies. MMA is among six sports making their Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya, alongside freestyle BMX, teqball, padel, surfing and virtual taekwondo. Although Tariyal missed out on a place in the final, her bronze has given India its first medal in MMA at the continental multi-sport event and marked the country’s first podium finish in the sport at the Asian Games.