Asian Games 2026: Indian MMA fighter Varun Sanyal disqualified without contest
Suchika Tariyal confirmed a medal, reaching the women’s traditional -60kg MMA semi-finals
Indian mixed martial artist Varun Sanyal is out of the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. On Sunday, he was declared medically unfit, so his campaign ended without a single fight in the quarter-final round.
Sanyal, 23, was the only Indian in the men’s traditional 77kg category. He had received a bye in the preliminary round, which sent him straight into the last eight, where he was due to face Mukhammad Nabiev of Bahrain.
The account of the night before comes from a post on X by journalist Boria Majumdar. According to it, Sanyal spent the evening helping teammate Suchika Tariyal, then went to a sauna to cut weight.
Also Read: Asian Games 2026: India’s updated schedule, results for today Day 1 (September 20)
He reportedly passed out at around 1 am. An athlete from Nepal found him and helped get him to a doctor. Indian officials rushed over, with Nikhil Kunder, described as the president, said to be closely involved. The doctor declared Sanyal unfit to compete.
Sanyal was one of two MMA fighters in India’s 503-member contingent for the Games, which run from September 19 to October 4 across 35 sports.
Suchika Tariyal secures a medal for India
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The day still brought good news for the MMA squad. Tariyal won her quarter-final in the women’s traditional 60kg category and moved into the semis, which guarantees India a medal in the sport. Sanyal’s exit leaves her as India’s only remaining MMA fighter at the Games.
The medal has more weight because India has never won a senior Asian Games medal in MMA. Its only podium finish so far came at the Asian Youth Games.
RELATED: Suchika Tariyal confirms India’s first medal at Asian Games 2026
And for Sanyal, this would hurt after his rapid rise in the field of MMA. He made his amateur debut in July 2022 and won the Indian National Amateur Championships in 2023.
At the IMMAF World Championships, he beat South African champion Liam Schulze and African champion Pedro Calembela and lost to Ze Machado, who went on to become world champion.
He then won bronze at the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championship in Luzhou, China, despite a staph infection that disrupted his preparation. That result helped earn him a place in the Asian Games squad.
In June 2026, he made his professional debut at Warriors Dream Series 17 in Mumbai, beating Karan Nitin Chauhan by first-round submission in a lightweight bout to move to 1-0.
Born to economist Sanjeev Sanyal and raised in Singapore, Sanyal first took up MMA during national service. He holds a first-class business degree from Queen Mary University of London and trains at Warriors Cove in Gurgaon, as well as in England.
Why was Varun Sanyal disqualified from the Asian Games 2026?
Sanyal was declared medically unfit by a doctor. Because of this, he could not take part in his scheduled quarterfinal against Bahrain’s Mukhammad Nabiev.
Is India still in the medal race in MMA at Asian Games 2026?
Yes. Suchika Tariyal won her quarterfinal in the women’s traditional 60 kg category and moved into the semifinals, which has already secured a medal for India. She is now the only Indian MMA fighter left in the competition.
What happened to Varun Sanyal during his weight cut?
Sanyal reportedly passed out after a sauna session while cutting weight, was found by a Nepalese athlete, and was taken to the hospital before being declared stable but ruled unfit to compete.
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