From Eve-Teasing Victim at 12 to MMA Medal Hopeful: Suchika Tariyal’s Remarkable Journey to Asian Games 2026

At 12, Suchika Tariyal took up judo for a reason no child should ever have to face. An incident of eve-teasing in her hometown of Rohtak pushed her towards combat sports as a means of self-protection.

More than two decades later, that decision has taken Suchika to some of the biggest stages in combat sports. Now 36, the versatile Indian fighter is preparing for another opportunity to make history as MMA makes its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

For Suchika, it will also be a second chance at the Asian Games. She represented India in Kurash at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, but the experience did not produce the result she wanted. This time, however, she believes she is better prepared and better equipped and competing in the discipline that has become the ultimate expression of her combat-sports journey.

“Life has given me a second chance at the Asian Games,” Suchika told SAI Media. “In Hangzhou, it did not go the way I wanted because Kurash was not popular in India and my preparation was not adequate. This time, I am fully prepared for MMA.”

Suchika’s journey began with judo, but she never restricted herself to a single discipline. After establishing herself in judo, she moved into ju-jitsu before eventually making MMA her primary focus. She trained initially at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and later at the Dada Dev Mandir Centre in Palam, while also sharpening her skills at SAI Bhopal.

Her achievements in judo established her as one of India's accomplished combat athletes. She became an eight-time national judo champion and competed for India at more than 20 international judo competitions. Among her major achievements were gold medals at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships and the 2019 South Asian Games, following a silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships.

She also competed at multiple Asian Judo Championships and represented India in the women's -57kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, narrowly missing out on a podium finish. But her ambitions extended beyond judo.

World Champion in Ju-Jitsu, MMA Next

Suchika's transition into Ju-Jitsu added another layer to her combat sports skill set. In 2024, she won gold in the Adults Ju-Jitsu Contact Female -63 kg category at the JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships. Those experiences proved crucial when she turned her attention towards MMA.

Suchika had actually made her MMA debut back in 2017 and won her first fight. She then spent seven years competing in judo and Ju-Jitsu before returning to professional MMA. In November 2024, she signed a multi-fight contract with BRAVE Combat Federation in the Women's Strawweight division. Her professional comeback came at BRAVE CF 92 in Bahrain in December 2024, where she secured another victory.

For Suchika, the transition was a natural one. “Judo set me up for MMA, which for me is the ultimate level of combat sports,” she explained. “Because of judo I was skillful in ground fighting and grappling. I only had to learn the standing game and striking skills for MMA.”

Her recent results have provided another reason for optimism heading into the Asian Games. Suchika has won back-to-back bronze medals at the Asian MMA Championships in 2026, in January and May, in the traditional 60 kg category. She will now compete in the same category at the Asian Games, where the level of competition is expected to be extremely high.

Her preparation has included intensive training with coach Nikhil Kunder at the One Punch Academy in Andheri, Mumbai, as she looks to combine the grappling base developed through years of judo with the striking and all-round skills demanded by MMA. Yet Suchika is deliberately avoiding putting excessive pressure on herself.

“There will be no easy fights. I am not thinking of results now. I don’t want to put myself under the pressure of expectation. I just want to give my 100% for India,” she said.

Suchika's journey has also made her an influential figure beyond competition. With more than 300,000 Instagram followers, she has become a youth icon and an advocate for women taking up combat sports. Her career has earned recognition from the President and Prime Minister of India, while she has also appeared on popular television programmes, including MTV Roadies and India's Ultimate Warrior on Prime Video.

Her message to young women is closely connected to the experience that first pushed her towards martial arts. “I really want to inspire young women to take up MMA,” she said. “I will be very happy even if one girl looks at me and says ‘if Suchika can, I can too.’”

At Aichi-Nagoya, Suchika will enter an entirely new chapter of her career. MMA's Asian Games debut gives her an opportunity to compete for a medal while representing a sport she believes offers athletes a complete combat-sports challenge. For the woman who first entered martial arts as a 12-year-old seeking confidence and self-protection, the journey has come a remarkably long way.

Now, at 36, Suchika Tariyal is chasing something even bigger: an Asian Games medal for India in MMA.