Who is Suchika Tariyal? India’s MMA medal hope
At the age of 12, Suchika Tariyal started practicing Judo to learn self-defense after experiencing eve-teasing. This decision eventually led her to win India's first medal at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. In the women's traditional 60kg MMA event, she defeated Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa to advance to the semifinals, securing a medal.
Despite Baigalmaa's aggressive second-round assault, Tariyal's strong defense and a key reversal allowed her to retain control and win the fight. Originally from Rohtak, Haryana, Tariyal began her training at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium before moving to the Dada Dev Mandir Centre in Palam and eventually training at SAI Bhopal. She achieved eight National Judo Championship titles and gold medals at the 2019 Commonwealth Judo Championships and 2019 South Asian Games.
Later, she transitioned to Ju-Jitsu, winning the Adults Ju-Jitsu Contact Female -63 kg division at the JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships in 2024. Tariyal made her MMA debut in 2017 but took a seven-year break to focus on Judo and Ju-Jitsu. In December 2024, she returned to professional MMA after securing a multi-fight deal with BRAVE Combat Federation, marking a new chapter in her combat sports journey.
In addition to her athletic career, Tariyal has a background in public service and sports administration, serving as a Head Constable in the CISF and a Junior Coach with the Department of Sports, Haryana.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
