Tiffany Teo’s Asian Games MMA Gold: An Overtime Win and a Disputed Semi-final

Tiffany Teo’s Asian Games debut ended with Singapore’s first gold medal of Aichi-Nagoya 2026. On 22 September, she defeated Uzbekistan’s Khilola Sobirova in the women’s traditional 60kg mixed martial arts final—but only after the bout went to overtime. 62

An overtime win against a familiar opponent

Teo and Sobirova were each awarded one of the two regulation rounds, leaving the gold medal to be decided in an extra round. Teo won it; a Team Singapore account reports that she secured a single-leg takedown during overtime. 61

The opponent made the result especially significant for Teo. Sobirova had beaten her in the final of the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championships in May 2026. In Nagoya, Teo reversed that result. 3

Why the semi-final was disputed

Teo’s place in the final came through a closely contested semi-final against India’s Suchika Tariyal on 21 September. They were level after two rounds and fought a one-minute overtime. Teo was initially awarded the bout, but an Indian challenge led to a review and a draw. Teo advanced under a weight tiebreaker because she had weighed in lighter than Tariyal. Several reports put the difference at 700g, although accounts differ on the precise weigh-in margin. Tariyal disputed the outcome, saying she believed she had done enough to win. 102419517

What the gold meant

Teo has described the achievement as the product of years of work, not just preparation for one final. It also marked a first for Singapore: MMA made its Asian Games debut at Aichi-Nagoya, and Teo became the country’s first gold medallist in the sport at the Games. 1641