Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Tiffany Teo won Singapore’s first gold medal of the Asian Games, after clinching a victory in the women’s traditional 60kg final on Sept 22.
She defeated Khilola Sobirova of Uzbekistan at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre to round off a sensational Asian Games debut campaign.
It was also sweet revenge for the Singaporean fighter, who finally managed to overcome an opponent who beat her in May in the final of the 2026 Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championships.
After the victory, Ms Teo broke down in tears before her husband and coach, Mr Sim Kai Xiong, hoisted her onto his shoulders.
Her win came in overtime after both athletes were judged to have won one round each.
Shortly after the bout, Ms Teo, who had blood marks on her uniform, told reporters she “was really overwhelmed”.
She said: “So I’ve never cried after a fight. So representing Singapore at the Asian Games is just a lot of added pressure and I had high expectations of myself. So when the moment all kind of came together, it felt really overwhelming. Even though I was tearing, it was tears of joy.”
The MMA athlete hopes her win will shine more light on the sport back home.
She added: “A big part of why I decided to compete in Asian Games is to help grow the sport. I’m not getting any younger. I’m probably left with a couple more competitive years, and I’ve been doing this for more than a decade, and I do see myself as a pioneer for the sport of MMA, and it’s quite sad to see that it’s not gaining popularity in recent years.
“And I hope that by competing in this and earning this gold medal for Singapore, people will start to see this as a pathway for MMA as a national sport. Because if you look at other combat sports like boxing, wrestling, judo and so many combat sports, there’s a national pathway to be part of the national team, and this gives them a goal to work towards. So I hope that by showing them there’s this pathway that you can pursue, it will encourage people to take up the sport.”
On Sept 20, the 36-year-old started her journey to gold by beating Iranian opponent Ms Arezou Salimighalehtaki by unanimous decision in the quarter-finals. By doing so, she claimed Singapore’s first Asiad medal in the sport, which was making its continental bow.
In the quadrennial event, MMA is competed on a mat instead of a cage with modified rules. Athletes compete in martial arts uniforms with shin guards for protection, and dropping knees on downed opponents is prohibited.
With both losing semi-finalists awarded joint-bronze, Ms Teo was assured of at least a medal regardless of the result of her semi-final.
Victory in the semi-final against India’s Ms Suchika Tariyal on Sept 21 was far from straightforward.
The duo drew level after the first two rounds and in the overtime round, Ms Teo took the win after the judges ruled in Singaporean’s favour, and the match appeared done and dusted. But Ms Suchika and her team proceeded to challenge the decision.
As per procedure, the overtime round was video reviewed by a different set of referees, who overturned Teo’s earlier win and awarded a draw. As a result, a weight tiebreaker was then applied under the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Association (AMMA)’s rules. THE STRAITS TIMES
