Who is Suchika Tariyal Hooda?

Suchika Tariyal Hooda, popularly known as Suchika Tariyal, is a well-known multi-disciplinary combat athlete, judoka, and MMA fighter. With a strong presence across national sports and reality television, she has gained massive popularity for representing India at elite international events and competing across multiple martial arts.

Known for her determination and elite grappling skills, Suchika has become an inspiration for young girls interested in self-defence and sporting excellence. 

Recently, she created history by winning India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) at the 2026 Asian Games, while generating headlines over a controversial semifinal weigh-in tiebreaker.

Early Life

Suchika Tariyal Hooda was born on August 16, 1990, in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh, and was raised in Rohtak, Haryana. She grew up in a traditional and conservative family environment where girls were initially discouraged from travelling or participating in sports.

At the age of 12, Suchika experienced a street harassment or eve-teasing incident at a local salon. Feeling helpless at the time, she decided to learn combat sports for self-defence. This decision later became the foundation of her journey into judo and competitive martial arts.

Career

Suchika Tariyal Hooda started her professional athletic career as a judoka and became an 8-time Indian National Judo Champion. She later expanded into multiple combat sports, including Kurash, Ju-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts.

She made her professional MMA debut in 2017, before taking a seven-year break from MMA while focusing on judo. She also battled severe knee injuries during her sporting journey.

In 2024, Suchika won gold in the Adults Contact Female -63kg division at the JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships in Greece. She also signed a multi-fight promotional deal with BRAVE Combat Federation and returned to professional MMA.

In 2026, she represented India at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where MMA made its official debut. She won a historic bronze medal in the women’s traditional 60kg category, becoming the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in MMA.

Her semifinal against Singapore’s Hui Hoon Teo became controversial after the bout was ultimately treated as a draw and decided through an IMMAF morning weigh-in tiebreaker. Teo was declared the winner because she was approximately 700 grams lighter than Suchika.

Education

Suchika Tariyal Hooda completed her early schooling and higher education in Haryana. 

Family and Affairs

Suchika Tariyal Hooda prefers to keep her personal life private. She is married and uses the surname Hooda.

Appearance

Suchika has an athletic and combat-sports-oriented physique suited to her career in judo, Ju-Jitsu and MMA.

Achievements

  • 2026 Asian Games: Bronze medalist in Mixed Martial Arts, India’s first-ever Asian Games MMA medal.
  • 2024 JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships: Gold medalist in the Adults Contact Female -63kg category in Greece.
  • 2019 South Asian Games: Gold medalist in Judo.
  • Indian National Judo Championships: 8-time national champion.
  • 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games: Represented India and finished fifth.

Lifestyle

Suchika Tariyal Hooda follows an intense and disciplined lifestyle centred around combat training, grappling, fitness and weight management. Alongside her sporting career, she serves as a Head Constable with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and works as a junior sports coach in Haryana. Her career also involves travelling for international tournaments and maintaining a social media presence around her sporting journey.

Trivia and Facts

  • Suchika appeared as a contestant on MTV Roadies.
  • She also appeared on India’s Ultimate Warrior on Amazon Prime Video.
  • She began learning combat sports after experiencing harassment at the age of 12.
  • She is an 8-time Indian National Judo Champion.
  • She won gold at the 2019 South Asian Games in judo.
  • She won gold at the 2024 JJIF Ju-Jitsu World Championships.
  • She represented India at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
  • She represented India in Kurash at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
  • She made her professional MMA debut in 2017 before taking a seven-year break.
  • She returned to MMA in 2024 and signed a multi-fight deal with BRAVE Combat Federation.
  • Her 2026 Asian Games bronze was India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in MMA.
  • Her 2026 semifinal was decided through a 700-gram morning weigh-in tiebreaker after the bout was treated as a draw.
  • Her reaction after the semifinal and the subsequent handshake controversy became widely discussed on social media.