Singaporean mixed martial arts fighter Tiffany Teo has made history at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, winning the country’s first gold medal of the Games after a dramatic victory in the women’s traditional 60kg MMA final.
The 36-year-old defeated Uzbekistan’s Khilola Sobirova at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre on Sept. 22, securing the gold after the bout went into overtime. The two fighters were tied after each won one round during regulation.
The victory was particularly significant for Teo because Sobirova had beaten her in the final of the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championships in May. This time, Teo was able to turn the result around on the biggest stage of her career.
The emotional moment came immediately after the decision. Teo broke down in tears before her husband and coach, Sim Kai Xiong, lifted her onto his shoulders as Singapore supporters celebrated the historic win. Teo said she had never cried after a fight before and described the emotions as tears of joy.
Her road to gold began with a unanimous-decision victory over Iran’s Arezou Salimighalehtaki in the quarter-finals. That win secured Singapore’s first-ever Asian Games medal in MMA, which is making its debut as a medal sport at the 2026 Games.
Teo then defeated India’s Suchika Tariyal in a closely fought semi-final to reach the gold-medal bout. The match was decided after a late surge by Teo, setting up her rematch with Sobirova.
The gold caps a remarkable comeback for Teo. After establishing herself as a professional fighter and competing for ONE Championship, she went through a period of nearly three years without a fight before returning to competition. She had an 8-2 record during her ONE Championship run from 2016 to 2022.
Teo’s journey into combat sports was also unexpected. She has said she was not interested in sports as a child and spent her school years in choir. She later took up taekwondo at 17, followed by Muay Thai and boxing, before eventually moving into MMA.
Her victory also gave Singapore its first national anthem moment at this edition of the Asian Games and marked the country’s first Asian Games MMA gold medal.
After years of setbacks, long periods away from competition and a defeat to the same opponent earlier this year, Teo has now reached the top of the Asian Games podium — delivering Singapore its first gold of Nagoya 2026 in historic fashion.
