Asian Games 2026: Suchika loses MMA semifinal due to contoversial weight rule after hard-fought draw

Suchika Tariyal settled for a bronze medal in the women’s traditional 60kg mixed martial arts event of the Asian Games on Monday as Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo was awarded the semifinal on the basis of her lesser weight after the two fighters drew a fiercely-contested bout.

Since the Singaporean weighed 700gm lesser than Suchika, she was declared the winner and advanced to the final.

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“I can now die happily,” an emotional Suchika Tariyal said after the result, adding, “This is more than my life. I will never forget that I came to Japan and got a medal for my country. I can now happily die.”

This was India’s maiden medal in the discipline that made its debut at the 20th edition of the Games here.

Tariyal, however, was shattered by the result and wept bitterly on the mat once the final decision was announced in Teo’s favour.

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Hailing from Kiloi village in Haryana’s Rohtak district, the 36-year-old Suchika is a 2024 world champion in jiu-jitsu, represented the country in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in judo and as a kurash fighter at the 2022 Asian Games.

“I am a little disappointed with the result of today’s bout because I thought I won the fight. I am not able to agree with the result. I was saying that this is not fair,” Suchika said. “This is not fair. Because if you look at a player, he or she gives 100% everywhere. And if you feel that the decision is unfair, then it is my right (to express myself).