How 700g cost Suchika Tariyal a shot at MMA gold at Asian Games 2026?
Suchika Tariyal drew with Hui Hoon Teo in their semi-final clash.
Suchika Tariyal has given Indian mixed martial arts a moment it has never had before. At the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, the 36-year-old from Rohtak, Haryana, won bronze in the women’s 60 kg traditional MMA category, becoming the first Indian athlete ever to stand on an Asian Games podium in the sport.
Her road to the medal, however, was far from straightforward. In the semi-final, Suchika faced Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo in a closely contested bout that swung back and forth. She used her judo background to take the fight to the ground and land heavy strikes, while Teo relied on boxing to control the pace.
The Singaporean fighter won the opening round, but Suchika responded strongly in the second, taking her opponent down once again to level the bout. That forced a one-minute overtime period, where Teo kept Suchika at bay.
Related: Why is MMA being played on mat at Asian Games 2026?
When the result was announced, it was anything but straightforward. India’s camp challenged the decision, and following a review by the 10-member judging panel, the bout was officially declared a draw. That was where the rules of the game came into play.
The 700g bodyweight that decided everything
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Under Asian MMA regulations, a tied contest isn’t left unresolved. The federation first checks for warnings issued to each fighter, then their in-fight advice, then their pre-fight weigh-in numbers, and if needed, their post-fight weights, before it even comes down to a referee’s vote.
In Suchika’s case, the first tie-breaker settled it: Teo weighed in roughly 700 grams lighter than Suchika, and that alone was enough to send the Singaporean into the final.
MMA Sports Federation president Nikhil Kunde confirmed as much to PTI, explaining that the tie was broken purely on the morning weigh-in numbers, pushing Suchika into the bronze medal bout instead of a shot at gold.
Understandably, Suchika didn’t hide her disappointment in the moment, staying off to the side instead of joining the referee and her opponent for the formal announcement. Still, the bronze caps an extraordinary comeback story.
Suchika made her professional MMA debut in 2017, then stepped away from the sport for seven years while competing in judo and jujutsu, winning a jujutsu world title in Heraklion in 2024 along the way.
She returned to professional MMA in December 2024 with BRAVE Combat Federation and has since added Asian Championship bronze medals in Luzhou and Tashkent to her collection, before this historic Asian Games finish.
How 700g bodyweight cost Suchika Tariyal at Asian Games 2026?
After the semi-final ended in a judge-panel draw, Asian MMA tie-breaker rules kicked in and pre-fight weigh-in weight was the deciding factor. Hui Hoon Teo was about 700 grams lighter than Suchika Tariyal, so she advanced to the final instead.
What medal did Suchika Tariyal win?
Bronze in the women’s 60 kg traditional MMA category, India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in MMA.
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