India, Sept. 20 -- Varun Sanyal's Asian Games debut ended before he could even step into the competition arena, with the Indian MMA fighter ruled medically unfit for his traditional 77kg bout on Sunday. Sanyal, the lone Indian male MMA competitor at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, was withdrawn after experiencing dizziness and muscle cramps following a sauna session during his weight-cutting process.

According to the information available with HT, the 28-year-old had reduced his intake of both food and water in an attempt to lose the required weight. Around half an hour after his sauna session, he began experiencing light-headedness, dizziness and muscle cramps, prompting a medical evaluation.

The assessment diagnosed Sanyal with mild dehydrati...