Asian Games 2026: Varun Sanyal declared medically unfit, exits without contest
Indian mixed martial artist Varun Sanyal was declared medically unfit and withdrawn from the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Sunday, ending his campaign without a fight in the quarter-final of the men’s traditional 77kg category. The 23-year-old had received a bye in the preliminary round and therefore did not record a single contest at the Games.
Sanyal was the only Indian entrant in the men’s traditional 77kg division and was due to face Bahrain’s Mukhammad Nabiev in the quarter-finals. He was one of two MMA fighters in India’s 503-member contingent to the Games, which run from September 19 to October 4 across 35 sports. The account of the incident on the night before his scheduled bout was reported via a post on X by journalist Boria Majumdar.
Majumdar’s post said Sanyal spent the evening helping teammate Suchika Tariyal and then used a sauna to cut weight, after which he “passed out at 1am.” A Nepalese athlete reportedly found him and helped get him to a doctor; Indian officials rushed to the scene, with Nikhil Kunder, described as the president, said to be closely involved. Sanyal was taken to hospital and later declared stable but medically unfit to compete, ruling him out of the scheduled quarter-final.
Suchika Tariyal provided contrasting news for India in MMA, winning her quarter-final in the women’s traditional 60kg category and progressing to the semifinals. Tariyal’s victory guarantees India a medal in MMA at these Games and leaves her as the country’s only remaining MMA competitor in Aichi-Nagoya.
Sanyal’s rapid rise in MMA underpinned his selection for the Asian Games: he made his amateur debut in July 2022 and won the Indian National Amateur Championships in 2023. At the IMMAF World Championships he defeated Liam Schulze and Pedro Calembela and lost to Ze Machado, who went on to become world champion; he later won bronze at the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championship in Luzhou, China despite a staph infection that disrupted his preparation, a result that helped earn him a place in the Asian Games squad.
He turned professional in June 2026 at Warriors Dream Series 17 in Mumbai, beating Karan Nitin Chauhan by first-round submission to move to 1-0. Born to economist Sanjeev Sanyal and raised in Singapore, Varun Sanyal first took up MMA during national service, holds a first-class business degree from Queen Mary University of London, and trains at Warriors Cove in Gurgaon as well as in England.
Sanyal’s medical withdrawal prevented him from taking part in his scheduled quarter-final against Mukhammad Nabiev, while Suchika Tariyal’s advancement into the semifinals has already secured India a medal in MMA at the Asian Games 2026.
