Varun Sanyal opens up after heartbreaking campaign at Asian Games 2026
Varun Sanyal was ruled medically unfit after he blacked out during a sauna session.
Indian MMA fighter Varun Sanyal has finally spoken about the events that forced him out of the Asian Games 2026 before he even stepped into the mat.
The 23-year-old, who was set to compete in the 77kg category, was ruled medically unfit after he blacked out during a sauna session while trying to cut weight on his own.
Speaking to reporters after the incident, Sanyal didn’t hold back. He said that no officials or support staff accompanied him throughout the process and he was left to manage the demanding weight cut on his own, with barely two weeks’ notice before the Games began.
“I didn’t have any officials with me. I had to cut weight alone. It was on short notice. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone randomly cut weight, let alone do it by themselves,” he said.
Related: Why is MMA being played on mat at Asian Games 2026?
Sanyal’s selection itself came under unusual circumstances. He had originally qualified for the Asian Games back in January, but stepped away from the process due to uncertainty and shifted his attention to his professional fighting career.
He was preparing for a professional bout when he received confirmation of his place in the Indian squad, just a couple of weeks before the event on September 2.
No support staff for the MMA team
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That last-minute call-up left Sanyal with less time to prepare, while the challenges intensified after he arrived in Japan. He faced accommodation issues and, more significantly, the Indian MMA contingent — comprising only Sanyal and fellow fighter Suchika Tariyal — travelled without dedicated support staff.
Consequently, Sanyal had to manage the weight-loss process himself—a difficult task usually overseen by coaches, nutritionists or medical staff in professional combat sports.
While attempting to shed the final kilos through a sauna session at his cruise accommodation, Sanyal became severely dehydrated and passed out. He was found unconscious by an athlete from Nepal, who alerted officials.
He was rushed to hospital, underwent blood tests that came back normal, and was kept under observation. Despite being declared stable the next morning, he was assessed as not fit enough for a combat sport and withdrew on medical advice.
Even after the setback, Sanyal chose not to dwell on what could have been.
“But what choice did I have? I don’t want to sit here and feel sorry for myself. We move on, and I’ve got a long career ahead of me,” he said, pointing instead to Tariyal’s bronze medal as proof that the Indian MMA contingent still delivered despite the odds stacked against it.
Why did Varun Sanyal withdraw from the Asian Games 2026?
He blacked out during a sauna session while cutting weight and was later declared medically unfit to compete.
Why was Varun Sanyal cutting weight alone?
He got a late call-up with just two weeks’ notice, and the Indian MMA team had no support staff in Japan.
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