Suchika Tariyal. Photo: X
Patna: Suchika Tariyal has assured India of its first medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, after advancing to the semifinals of the women’s traditional -60kg mixed martial arts event. The 36-year-old defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinals on Sunday, guaranteeing at least a bronze medal.
The result marks India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in MMA, a sport making its debut at the continental event this year. A place in the semifinals ensures a podium finish, as both losing semifinalists are awarded bronze medals.
Tariyal will return to action in the semifinals on Monday at 7:00 am IST at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center. She will face either Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo or Iran’s Arezou Salimighalehtaki, with a win securing a place in the gold-medal bout.
A Contest of Control
Against Baigalmaa, the 2025 IMMAF World Champion and the 92nd-ranked fighter in the Eurasia region, Tariyal delivered a composed performance. Baigalmaa came out aggressively in the second and final round, looking to turn the contest around.
Tariyal’s defensive discipline held through the sustained attack. When the opportunity arose, she executed a clean reversal, took her opponent to the ground, and maintained control until the final bell to seal the 2-0 victory.
Two Decades Across Combat Sports
Tariyal’s journey to this historic medal spans more than two decades and multiple combat disciplines. Born in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh, she began as a judoka, a path she took up as a means of self-defence after an incident of harassment at age 12.
She built a decorated judo career, competing in more than 20 international events and becoming an eight-time national champion. Her achievements include silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships, gold at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships, and gold at the 2019 South Asian Games.
She represented India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she missed the podium by a slim margin. At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, she competed in kurash, a form of traditional wrestling, but was eliminated in the preliminary rounds.
In 2024, she was crowned a Jiu-Jitsu world champion in the adults’ contact 63kg category at the JJIF World Championships.
A Return Through Fellowship
After stepping away from competitive sport, Tariyal had made peace with walking away entirely. A knee injury and systemic hurdles had distanced her from judo, the sport that had shaped much of her life.
Two people from India’s MMA community, UFC fighter Pooja Tomar and former ONE Championship fighter Himanshu Kaushik, pulled her back into competition. ‘I had given up. I thought, Alright, it’s fine, it’s done, this is enough,’ Tariyal told Hindustan Times. ‘Then Pooja and Himanshu forced me to try it once, saying that my skills were good and I would pick it up quickly. These two are the ones who brought me into MMA.’
Her friendship with Tomar dates back to their days at the SAI hostel in Bhopal between 2011 and 2014, where the two lived and trained. Tomar was a wushu athlete and Tariyal a judoka. Years later, when Tariyal was struggling to find a way forward, Tomar and Kaushik saw an MMA fighter in her grappling-heavy skill set.
Administrative Hurdles and Personal Sacrifice
Tariyal’s path to the Asian Games was far from straightforward. In January 2026, the jiu-jitsu team for the Games was axed, and the structure changed, effectively eliminating the path she had been preparing for. She switched to MMA trials instead.
Midway through the qualification process, eligibility requirements changed, requiring athletes to secure a top-six Asian ranking. Without immediate government funding, Tariyal paid her own way to the Asian Championship. She returned with two bronze medals, a result that helped her dossier clear administrative processes and brought her into the Target Asian Games scheme.
Tariyal works as a judo coach with the Haryana Sports Department. Competing means taking unpaid leave. ‘I had no income,’ she told Hindustan Times. ‘My husband works in marketing. He has a good credit limit, so I manage everything through his credit card. Flights and all are managed like that and later we pay it off in instalments or when I earn money from BRAVE fights, I put it towards that.’
She signed with BRAVE Combat Federation in November 2024 and has fought twice for the promotion, winning one bout and losing one. The experience provided international exposure and showed her the gaps in her game to work on.
Professional Debut and Background
Tariyal’s MMA career began in 2017 with a debut submission victory, winning by armbar in the third round. She then took a long gap before returning to the sport in 2024. She made her promotional debut at BRAVE CF 92 in December 2024, submitting Jhen Buzon of the Philippines in the second round via armbar. She later competed at BRAVE CF 104 in February 2026 against Poland’s Kinga Jendrasik.
She is also a two-time Asian MMA Championship bronze medallist. Her husband, Kapil, a senior manager at Maruti Suzuki, encouraged her to keep competing. ‘I might have quit after marriage, but he supported me so much to keep playing,’ she said. ‘There is no pressure about having a child or listening to in-laws. His family supports me a lot too.’
Tariyal’s semifinal opponent will be determined from the quarterfinal between Iran’s Arezou Salimighalehtaki and Singapore’s Teoh Hui Hoon. The bout is scheduled for 10:30 local time, 7:00 am IST, on Monday, September 21.
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