‘Too old’ to Asian Games MMA medallist: Suchika Tariyal’s journey from judo to glory

Mixed martial arts, or MMA, is a combat sport that combines techniques from several fighting disciplines. It can include standing attacks, takedowns, throws, grappling and submissions. Judo focuses strongly on throws, grips and groundwork. Kurash is mainly a jacket-based throwing sport. Ju-jitsu centres on grappling, control and submissions. The article does not list every technical rule, but it shows that these sports have different competitive pathways.

Tariyal spent 15 years in judo, then tried kurash and ju-jitsu before MMA. Her judo background gave her experience with balance, throws and controlling an opponent. Ju-jitsu added further grappling skills. MMA required her to combine those abilities within a broader fighting format, encouraged by Pooja Tomar and Himanshu Kaushik.

These differences mattered because success in one sport did not automatically secure selection in another. Tariyal changed sports when rankings, selection problems and recognition limited her chances. MMA eventually created another route to the Asian Games.

Suchika Tariyal achieved a landmark result at age 36: she won a bronze medal at the Asian Games. This was historic because she became India’s first Asian Games medallist in MMA. The result gave Indian MMA its first medal at the event and showed that an athlete can reach a major breakthrough after a long, difficult journey.

Her achievement followed years of persistence. Tariyal had competed in judo, kurash and ju-jitsu, while trying to find a route to the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games or Olympics. She had also considered walking away. At the Asian Games, she reached the semifinal, but a tiebreak kept her out of the final.

The bronze brought joy, but not complete satisfaction. Tariyal said she had planned to win gold and was sad to miss it. Even after making history, she felt she had to do more, suggesting the medal is a milestone rather than an endpoint.

Tariyal won bronze rather than reaching the final because her semifinal against Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo was decided by a tiebreak. The contest went to an additional round, so the result could not be settled through the regular fighting stages alone. The deciding factor was not a clear victory in that extra round, but the athletes’ weights.

Tariyal was 700 grams heavier than Teo. Under the competition’s weigh-in tiebreak, that difference worked against her. Because she lost the semifinal decision, she could no longer compete for gold and finished with bronze. The article presents the weight difference as the specific mechanism that separated the two athletes.

The result explains Tariyal’s mixed emotions. She had achieved India’s first Asian Games MMA medal, yet she believed gold was within reach. Her bronze was historic, but the narrow semifinal outcome left her focused on the final she had missed.

Tariyal began with judo and spent 15 years trying to build an international career, including an Olympic qualification effort. When judo ranking requirements made Asian Games selection difficult, she looked for another pathway. Kurash offered that opportunity, so she trained for about a year and won the selection trials.

Her route remained uncertain. Her name was not cleared for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou until the final days, and she said disputes involving two federations left athletes behind. She competed in kurash but lost. Afterward, she took up ju-jitsu and became a world champion in 2024, but the sport’s recognition in India still limited her prospects.

MMA then provided a fresh chance to pursue the Asian Games medal she had wanted since childhood. Pooja Tomar and Himanshu Kaushik encouraged her to try it. That final switch led to bronze and India’s first Asian Games MMA medal.

Tariyal’s MMA bronze came after a substantial sporting career, not from a first attempt at elite competition. She became an eight-time national judo champion and spent 15 years in the sport. Her earlier results included silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships, followed by gold at the 2019 edition and gold at the 2019 South Asian Games.

Her progress continued across different disciplines. She tried to qualify for the Olympics in judo, but the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted that pursuit. She later competed in kurash at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. After leaving kurash, she took up ju-jitsu and became a world champion in 2024.

Those achievements show why the MMA medal mattered in a wider context. Tariyal had repeatedly reached high levels, yet selection rules and sport recognition blocked some opportunities. MMA finally converted that long experience into an Asian Games medal at age 36.

Athletes do not always control whether success leads to a major competition. Selection systems may require a certain ranking, approvals from federations or recognition for a sport. If those conditions are not met, an athlete can be excluded even after winning trials or international medals. Changing sports may become a practical way to keep pursuing the same goal.

Tariyal’s career shows this clearly. Judo ranking requirements made Asian Games selection difficult. In kurash, she won the selection trials, but her name was not cleared until the final days because of an issue involving two federations. She said the delay reduced her training time. Ju-jitsu brought her a 2024 world title, but its recognition in India remained an obstacle.

MMA offered another route, and she eventually won Asian Games bronze. Her experience shows that sporting opportunity depends on systems as well as ability. A new discipline can provide access, but it also demands fresh preparation and adaptation.

Tariyal’s judo-based background was useful in MMA because judo develops close-contact skills such as balance, grips, throws and control. Her ju-jitsu experience added more grappling knowledge. These abilities help an MMA fighter decide where a contest takes place and manage an opponent once the fight reaches the ground. The article identifies her long experience across these combat sports.

MMA is broader than any one of them. A fighter must be prepared for exchanges while standing as well as for takedowns and ground action. Judo and ju-jitsu do not by themselves cover every part of that broader format. Tariyal therefore had to adapt her existing skills to MMA’s combined demands, including striking. The article does not describe her specific striking training.

That adaptation created a new opportunity rather than erasing her earlier work. Her previous combat experience helped her enter MMA, while the sport required further development. The result was bronze at the Asian Games and India’s first MMA medal there.