Nagoya, September 21 (Daily Kiran) : Suchika Tariyaal’s remarkable journey in mixed martial arts (MMA) at the Asian Games concluded with a bronze medal following a controversial semifinal loss. Coach Nikhil Kunder revealed that the outcome was ultimately determined by the “lighter weight category” rule after arbitration declared the match a draw.
Initially, Suchika lost to Singapore’s Hoon Teo, prompting the Indian team to file an appeal against the decision. The case went to arbitration, where judges reviewed the fight and reassessed the scoring. Kunder noted that the reevaluation resulted in no clear winner, leading to a tie and the implementation of the weight rule.
“We were confident that Suchika won the fight,” Kunder stated. “According to the rules, when arbitration occurs, we select three judges who then have the opportunity to score the match again. When they did, it was declared a draw.”
He explained that once the match was ruled a draw, the Singaporean team had two options: pursue counter-arbitration or accept a decision based on weight, as per the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (AMMA) regulations.
“Since it ended in a draw, the opposing team had a choice. They could either go for counter-arbitration or opt for the weight-based decision. These are the AMMA federation’s rules. Singapore chose not to pursue counter-arbitration and instead opted for the lighter weight category. Unfortunately, Suchika was 700 grams heavier than her opponent, which led to the match being awarded to them.”
Kunder believed that the decision based on weight did not reflect Suchika’s performance during the fight. “If you examine the technical aspects and scoring of the fight, Suchika was the winner,” he asserted.
Despite the semifinal result, Suchika earned India’s first Asian Games medal in MMA. The 36-year-old, who has competed in judo, kurash, and fighting jiu-jitsu, secured her spot in the semifinals by defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
MMA was included for the first time in the Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, making Suchika’s bronze medal a historic achievement for Indian combat sports.
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