Suchika Tariyal advanced to the semifinals in the women’s traditional 60kg mixed martial arts (MMA) event at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, guaranteeing India’s first medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
The athlete from Rohtak, Haryana, secured victory against Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa on September 20, demonstrating resolute defense and a decisive reversal to take control on the ground in the final round. Baigalmaa launched aggressive attacks in an attempt to overturn the contest, but Tariyal maintained dominance to seal the win.
Suchika Tariyal’s journey began at age 12 when she started practicing Judo for self-defense following an incident of eve-teasing. Over more than a decade, she has built a distinguished career in combat sports, transitioning from Judo to Ju-Jitsu and then MMA.
She trained initially at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, later moving to the Dada Dev Mandir Center in Palam and subsequently to the Sports Authority of India center in Bhopal. Tariyal has represented India in over 20 international Judo competitions and is an eight-time National Judo Champion.
Her Judo accomplishments include gold medals at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships and the 2019 South Asian Games, as well as a silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships. She also competed in multiple Asian Judo Championships and participated in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in the women’s -57 kg category.
After Judo, Tariyal transitioned to Ju-Jitsu, achieving gold in the Adults Ju-Jitsu Contact Female -63 kg category at the 2024 JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships.
She debuted in MMA in 2017 with a win but took a seven-year hiatus from the sport while continuing to compete in Judo and Ju-Jitsu. In December 2024, she returned to professional MMA at BRAVE CF 92 in Bahrain after signing a multi-fight contract with BRAVE Combat Federation.
Beyond her sports career, Suchika Tariyal has contributed to public service and sports administration. She was appointed Head Constable in the Central Industrial Security Force and later joined the Department of Sports, Haryana, as a Junior Coach.