New Delhi, Sept. 20 -- Indian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Suchika Tariyal made history on Sunday after she assured herself of a medal by reaching the semifinals of the women's traditional 60kg category at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.

She defeated Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinal to ensure that she will at least win a bronze medal.

Suchika Tariyal is a 36-year-old athlete who hails from the town of Budhana in Uttar Pradesh. She kickstarted her sports career as a judoka before eventually transitioning to ju-jutsu, and later MMA in 2017.

Early on in her career, Tariyal competed in over 20 international competitions, and eventually became an eight-time national champion. She won a silver medal at the 2018 Co...