Suchika Tariyal Wins Historic Asian Games 2026 MMA Bronze for India

Suchika Tariyal has won India's first-ever medal in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) at the Asian Games 2026. MMA is making its debut at these Games, so the bronze is a historic moment for Indian sport.

Suchika Tariyal Won a bronze medal in the Women's Traditional MMA -60kg

Suchika's medal was already confirmed on Sunday, when she beat Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinal.

On 21 September, 2026, she faced Singapore's Teo Hui Hoon in the semi-final. The bout went into overtime, but the judges gave the decision to her opponent, so Suchika settled for bronze. She looked upset after the result. She was reluctant to go on stage when the winner was announced, and she went up only after her coaches asked her to.

Along with MMA, BMX, teqball, padel, surfing, and virtual taekwondo are also new sports at the 2026 Asian Games.

Suchika Tariyal Biography

Early Life and Judo Career

Suchika is 36 years old and comes from Rohtak, Haryana. She started training at the age of 12 after facing an eve-teasing incident. She took up judo for self-defence and later became an international-level player, representing India in more than 20 international events.

Her major achievements include:

• Eight-time National Judo Champion
• Gold at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships
• Gold at the 2019 South Asian Games
• Narrowly missed a medal in the -57kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham

MMA Journey

Suchika made her MMA debut in 2017 and then took a seven-year break from it, though she kept competing in Judo and Ju-Jitsu. In 2024, she signed a multi-year deal with BRAVE Combat Federation in the Women's Strawweight division. She returned to professional MMA at BRAVE CF 92 in Bahrain in December 2024.

Career Outside Sport

Suchika was appointed a Head Constable in the CISF. She later joined the Department of Sports, Haryana, as a junior coach.