Indian martial artist Suchika Tariyal has carved her name into the history books at the Asian Games, becoming the first Mixed Martial Arts medalist from India. Her journey to the podium featured a stellar quarterfinal triumph where she defeated Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa to book her place in the last four and guarantee herself a medal.
Moving forward to the penultimate stage in the women's Traditional MMA 60kg competition, Tariyal fought valiantly in a tough semifinal encounter against Singapore's Teo Hui Hoon. Although she ultimately went down 0-2 in the matchup, her spirited campaign successfully confirmed a historic bronze medal for the nation. MMA is making its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya.
Suchika's Journey
The Rohtak, Haryana athlete came from a modest and conservative family background. She began her sporting journey at 12 after an incident of eve-teasing pushed her towards Judo for self-defence.
She first trained at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and later at the Dada Dev Mandir Centre in Palam. She then moved to SAI Bhopal. Her rise came despite family reservations, especially over girls travelling for competitions.
That journey took her to the international stage. Suchika went on to represent India in more than 20 international Judo competitions and then widened her career into Ju-Jitsu and MMA.
Judo Breakthroughs And Medals
Her first major rise came in Judo. Suchika became an eight-time National Judo Champion and emerged as a regular India representative on the international circuit.
She won Gold at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships and another Gold at the 2019 South Asian Games. A year earlier, she had taken Silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships.
She also represented India at multiple Asian Judo Championships. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, she competed in the women’s -57 kg category and narrowly missed a podium finish. That result added top-level experience to her career.
Ju-Jitsu And MMA
She did not stop at Judo. Suchika expanded into Ju-Jitsu and added another major title in 2024 when she won Gold in the Adults Ju-Jitsu Contact Female -63 kg category at the JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships. That success gave her a strong base for MMA.
She made her MMA debut in 2017 and won that bout before stepping away from the sport for seven years while continuing to compete in Judo and Ju-Jitsu.
Her MMA return gathered pace in late 2024. In November 2024, she signed a multi-fight contract with BRAVE Combat Federation in the women’s strawweight division. She then returned to professional MMA at BRAVE CF 92 in Bahrain in December 2024 and secured a victory. She also has two medals at the Asian MMA Championship.
Her career has also extended beyond competition. Suchika was appointed as a Head Constable in CISF and later joined the Department of Sports, Haryana as a Junior Coach.
