Asian Games 2026: Suchika Tariyal Heads to Semi Finals in Women's Traditional 60kg MMA

Indian fighter Suchika Tariyal assured India's first-ever Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts on Sunday, defeating Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa to advance to the semifinals of the women's Traditional 60kg category at the Games in Nagoya, Japan.

The contest turned tense in the second and final round as Baigalmaa came out aggressively, looking to seize control, but Tariyal's defence held firm under the sustained pressure. As her opponent continued attacking, Tariyal produced a decisive reversal, taking Baigalmaa to the ground and maintaining control for the remainder of the round to secure victory on points.

With her place in the last four confirmed, Tariyal is guaranteed at least a bronze medal, making her the first Indian athlete to win a medal in MMA at the continental multi-sport event, notable also because mixed martial arts is making its Asian Games debut at this edition in Aichi-Nagoya. A win in the semifinal would send her into the gold-medal bout for the inaugural title in her category.

Elsewhere on the day, India's campaign saw further momentum as the women's table tennis team opened with a commanding 3-0 win over Indonesia in their Group F fixture, with Sreeja Akula among those contributing to the victory, while India's teqball campaign concluded with a defeat in the bronze medal match.