Suchika settles for India’s maiden MMA bronze

Spread the news

Coach Nikhil Kunder challenged judges’ decision, but Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon advances after bout ends in draw and weight rule decides winner

Chandigarh, September 21

Indian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Suchika Tariyal settled for a historic bronze in the women’s traditional 60-kg event at the Asian Games after her semifinal against Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon ended in a draw and the winner was decided on the basis of weight.

The result gave India its maiden medal in the MMA at the Asian Games. Teo was awarded the contest by the judges, while Suchika finished with the bronze medal.

Following the competition, Kunder said the contest was level and went into an extra round. He said the Indian side had challenged the verdict and taken the matter to arbitration.

Kunder further claimed that one judge favoured India, while the other two judges awarded the extra-round decision to Singapore.

“We have challenged the decision. The match was a draw. We were waiting for arbitration results, hoping it will change the final result. The fight was scored a draw and it went into overtime. Two judges gave Singapore the decision and one gave it to India,” the coach said.

Suchika had secured her place in the medal round before facing Teo Hui Hoon. She went on to become the first Indian MMA athlete to win a medal at the Asian Games.

The Indian side then took the matter to arbitration over the judges’ verdict.

The matter was reviewed by a 10-judge panel after available footage of the bout was examined.

However, the verdict was not changed in Suchika’s favour. With the bout remaining tied, the result was decided on the basis of weight as per the applicable Mixed Martial Arts rules. Suchika was found to be 700 grams heavier than Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon.

Following the review, the judges’ panel upheld the decision in favour of Teo, meaning Suchika had to settle for the bronze medal.

The decision ended the Indian side’s challenge, while Suchika’s bronze remains a historic achievement as India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in the MMA.