700 Grams Decided It: Why Suchika Tariyal Missed The Asian Games MMA Final

Suchika Tariyal became India's first Asian Games MMA medallist on Monday, but the 36-year-old's bid for a place in the women's traditional 60kg final ended in one of the sport's more unusual tie-break scenarios.

Suchika's semi-final against Singapore's Hui Hoon Teo was declared a draw after the Indian team challenged the original decision. With neither fighter separated after the additional round, Teo advanced to the final because she weighed 700 grams less than Suchika at the morning weigh-in.

Here is how the controversial finish unfolded.

Why was the semi-final declared a draw?

Suchika and Teo fought two two-minute rounds, with the three original judges unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

The first round went to Teo, while Suchika won the second, leaving the judges split after regulation time. One judge scored the bout 19-19, another 19-20 and the third 20-19 in Suchika's favour.

The bout therefore went to a one-minute overtime period. Teo was awarded that round by two judges, initially giving her the victory.

Suchika disagreed with the decision, arguing that her takedowns and strikes had given her the edge, and the Indian team challenged the result by paying a USD 1,000 arbitration fee.

Three additional judges reviewed the bout and also scored it a draw. That meant the result could not simply be overturned in Suchika's favour; the competition's tie-breaking procedure had to be applied.

How did the weight rule decide the winner?

This is where the 700-gram difference became decisive.

According to MMA Sports Federation president Nikhil Kunder, Suchika weighed approximately 59.2kg at the morning weigh-in, while Teo weighed around 58.5kg.

Under the IMMAF rules cited by the Indian federation, when fighters remain level after the relevant judging and tie-breaking stages, their pre-competition weights can be used to determine the winner.

Because Teo was lighter, she was awarded the semi-final and advanced to the gold-medal bout.

The rules provide a hierarchy for resolving such ties, including warnings, advice and pre-competition weight. If the athletes' pre-competition weights are identical, post-competition weight and further officiating procedures can come into play.

In this case, however, the 700-gram difference was enough to settle the contest.

What does the result mean for Suchika?

The defeat was understandably difficult for Suchika, who was visibly emotional after the decision and said she believed she had won the fight.

"I am a little disappointed with the result of today's bout because I thought I won the fight," she told PTI. "I am not able to agree with the result."

Despite missing out on the final, Suchika secured India's first-ever Asian Games medal in MMA, which made its Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

The Haryana fighter is a multi-discipline combat athlete, having represented India in judo at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in kurash at the 2022 Asian Games. She also became a world champion in jiu-jitsu in 2024.

The bronze therefore marks a landmark moment for Indian MMA, even as the manner of the semi-final exit left Suchika and the Indian team questioning what might have been.