Suchika Tariyal had already done the hard part. She had taken her women’s traditional 60kg semifinal against Singapore’s Tiffany Teo Hui Hoon into overtime, fought through a closely-contested bout and believed she had done enough to reach the Asian Games final.

Singapore's Teo beat the Indian athlete in overtime (Suchika Tariyal - Instagram)

Instead, the Indian fighter left the mat dejected after the judges ruled in Singapore’s favour. What followed was an unusual sequence that ultimately decided the contest. India challenged the original decision.

Suchika weighed around 59.2kg, while Teo was around 58.5kg—roughly 700 grams lighter. Six judges assessed the bout after the arbitration process for which India paid $1000 as fee, but the overall result remaining level. The weight tiebreaker was then applied under the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association existing rules.

“I did not agree with this decision at all, even on the mat, because this decision was not fair,” Suchika told HT.

“The judges... the fight would have gone in my favour, but they didn't even listen to our side. They rejected the objection and decided it based on weight, saying her weight was lower.”

“Today her weight was 700 grams lighter than mine,” Suchika said. “I didn't fail the weigh-in, I gave my full weight strictly under 60kg. If I had weighed in a bit lower, maybe I could have won today.”

“But the thing is, in the morning they didn't even allow the coach inside. So sir said, ‘You just go give your weight, don't delay it, because you need to have breakfast, recover, and play.’

“I just gave whatever weight came up so that... because my fight was coming up soon so there wasn't much recovery time. So I gave my weight and went first. The coaches were standing downstairs, waiting in the sun for me to get ready quickly so we could leave for the arena.”

“The federation, our international federation, is from Singapore. That girl was also from Singapore…” said Suchika.

The closely fought bout ended in a draw after regulation time, with Teo mounting an attack in the final few seconds. But Tariyal managed to get her opponent down just as the buzzer went off.

The closely fought bout ended in a draw after regulation time, with Teo mounting an attack in the final few seconds. Tariyal managed to get her opponent down just as the buzzer went off.

Teo had the better of the first period, but Tariyal fought back strongly in the second. With neither fighter able to establish a clear advantage, the bout went into a one-minute extra round.

Tariyal was convinced that she had done enough to win, while Teo also celebrated at the final buzzer. After the fight ended, the Indian broke down in tears and did not immediately go across to shake hands with her opponent or the referee. Despite the disappointment, the bronze is India’s first-ever medal in mixed martial arts at the Asian Games.