MMA fighter Suchika misses chance to fight for gold — all down to 700 grams

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Suchika fought tooth and nail during the overtime — Teo’s last-minute attack was nullified by the Indian’s takedown. Both fighters were celebrating after the bout ended.

Despite the disappointment, the bronze is India’s first medal in mixed martial arts (MMA), a sport making its debut at the Asian Games. Her first major medal also spoke volumes of the 36-year-old’s desire to keep going. Suchika represented India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games but had returned empty-handed. On Sunday, she took down Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 to enter the semifinals of the women’s traditional MMA to confirm at least a bronze medal for India.

“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,” she told PTI.

Suchika Tariyal lost her semi final MMA bout at Asian Games by 700 gms.

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At the end of the semifinal, which went into overtime, when Hoon Teo was declared the winner, Suchika refused to approach the ring referee. She eventually went in after her coaches coaxed her and when the referee raised her opponent’s hand, she fell to her knees and broke down. Her opponent approached her for a handshake, but Suchika did not reciprocate. Finally, one of her coaches came to the mat and led her away.

“In our view, Suchika had won the bout. Anyone who saw the bout knows this. However, once the result was against us, we decided to protest the challenge. It cost us 1000 USD but it was worth the shot,” Nikhil Kunder, who is president of the MMA-SFI — the national federation — told this paper. “There are no regrets about taking that call.”

As a 12-year-old, Suchika picked up judo after a groping incident at a unisex salon left her helpless. “I went to a unisex salon and the barber touched me inappropriately,” Suchika had told this paper earlier in an interview. “I felt that I should have something for my own defence. I should have some fighting skills with which I can fight back.”

A few months later, she joined judo classes at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, close to the government quarters where she lived. Before she knew it, Suchika began winning age-group medals and, within a few years, became a junior national medallist. She went on to become an eight-time national champion in judo. She transitioned from judo to kurash to ju-jitsu to mixed martial arts now.

Suchika’s husband, Kapil Hooda, who has supported her financially through this journey, hopes that this medal will bring more exposure to the sport of MMA. “I don’t want to dwell on what happened there. The bronze medal is a historic one and I think this will bring more and more recognition for combat sports like MMA and the athletes who pursue it.”