Archive · 22 Sep 2026
700-Gram Weight Rule Denies Suchika Tariyal Asian Games Final
Suchika Tariyal fought Hui Hoon Teo of Singapore in an MMA semifinal at the Asian Games.
The match was extremely close and did not produce a clear winner.
Reports differ on the exact order of the review and extra round, but they agree that the bout was eventually declared a draw.
India challenged an initial decision that favored Teo.
Three new judges then also scored the bout as a draw.
The rules allowed the lighter fighter to win when the bout remained tied.
Teo weighed about 58.5 kilograms, while Tariyal weighed about 59.2 kilograms.
Because Teo was roughly 700 grams lighter, she reached the final and Tariyal received bronze.
Tariyal was disappointed and did not return Teo’s handshake.
Suchika Tariyal won India’s first MMA medal at the Asian Games, taking bronze in the women’s traditional 60kg event.
Her semifinal against Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo remained unresolved after regulation and an additional one-minute round, according to reports.
India challenged an initial decision favoring Teo, after which three new judges scored the bout as a draw.
Officials applied the morning-weigh-in tiebreaker: Teo weighed about 58.5kg, while Tariyal weighed about 59.2kg.
Teo advanced to the final, while Tariyal became upset, declined Teo’s handshake and was led away by a coach.
- Who
- Indian fighter Suchika Tariyal and Singaporean fighter Hui Hoon Teo; officials and replacement judges reviewed the result.
- What
- A drawn MMA semifinal was decided using the fighters’ morning weights, sending Teo to the final and Tariyal to the bronze-medal position.
- When
- Monday, September 21, at the Asian Games 2026.
- Where
- The Asian Games 2026 competition venue; the specific location is not stated.
- Why
- The bout remained tied after review, and the reported rules awarded the result to the lighter athlete.
Tariyal’s Perspective
Competition Rule
Whether the result was fair
Tariyal’s Perspective
Tariyal said she believed she had won and described the decision as unfair, while her camp challenged the initial result.
Competition Rule
Officials said that after three new judges also scored the bout as a draw, the applicable tiebreaker was the athletes’ morning weigh-in.
How the finalist was selected
Tariyal’s Perspective
Tariyal missed the final because she was about 700 grams heavier despite the bout having no clear winner.
Competition Rule
Under the reported rule, the lighter athlete wins a tied bout; Teo’s weight of about 58.5kg put her ahead of Tariyal’s approximately 59.2kg.
- Athlete
- Suchika Tariyal, a 36-year-old fighter from Haryana, India
- Opponent
- Hui Hoon Teo of Singapore
- Event
- Women’s traditional 60kg Mixed Martial Arts semifinal
- Morning weights
- Tariyal: approximately 59.2kg; Teo: approximately 58.5kg
- Weight difference
- Teo was approximately 700 grams lighter
- Review
- India reportedly paid a $1,000 arbitration fee; three new judges scored the bout as a draw
- Outcome
- Teo advanced to the final and Tariyal won bronze
- Historical significance
- Tariyal’s bronze was reported as India’s first MMA medal at the Asian Games
Sources
Bizarre: Why being 700 grams heavier cost Suchika Tariyal spot in Asian Games final
Asian Games 2026: Indian MMA fighter Suchika Tariyal scripts history despite missing out on gold bout because of 700 grams
