Suchika Tariyal scripted history for India on Monday by becoming the country’s first Asian Games medallist in mixed martial arts. She won bronze in the women’s traditional -60kg event at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Tariyal’s historic campaign ended in the semifinals after Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo edged her out in an overtime bout. The Indian fighter lost by the narrowest of margins, ending her hopes of reaching the gold-medal contest but securing her place on the podium as MMA made its Asian Games debut.

The semifinal result left Tariyal visibly disappointed after officials announced the decision. Despite the setback, the 36-year-old leaves Aichi-Nagoya with a landmark medal that represents a significant milestone for Indian MMA on the continental stage.

Tariyal reached the semifinals after a composed quarterfinal performance against Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa on Sunday. She secured a 2-0 victory and became the first Indian athlete to guarantee an Asian Games medal in MMA.

The bronze adds another major achievement to Tariyal’s career across multiple combat sports. The national-level judoka represented India at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where she reached the bronze-medal bout. She later competed in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games.

Tariyal subsequently established herself among the leading Jiu-Jitsu competitors and won a world title in fighting Jiu-Jitsu in 2024.

She also has previous experience in MMA. Tariyal made her professional debut in 2017 and won her opening bout. She then spent seven years away from MMA while focusing on judo and Jiu-Jitsu. She returned to MMA competition and signed a multi-fight contract with BRAVE Combat Federation in November 2024.

Her comeback followed several challenges, including a knee injury. She also gained wider public recognition after appearing on the television reality show ‘Roadies’.

MMA ranks among six sports making their Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya. The other five sports include freestyle BMX, teqball, padel, surfing and virtual taekwondo.

Although Tariyal missed out on a place in the final, her bronze medal gave India a historic start in MMA at the Asian Games. Her achievement marks India’s first MMA medal at the continental multi-sport event.