Singapore has its first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games, and it came from mixed martial arts fighter Tiffany Teo.
The 36-year-old defeated Uzbekistan’s Khilola Sobirova in the women’s traditional 60kg final in Nagoya on Tuesday, 22 September, completing a gold-medal run in her first Asian Games. The Straits Times reported the victory shortly after the bout.
Final Had to Be Decided in Overtime
There was little separating Teo and Sobirova during the regulation rounds at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre.
The judges awarded one round to each fighter, sending the gold-medal bout into overtime. Teo eventually emerged with the victory to secure Singapore’s first gold medal of the Games.
The opponent was a familiar one.
Sobirova had beaten Teo in the final of the women’s traditional 60kg category at the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championships in May. Teo finished with silver at that event, which also helped her qualify for the Asian Games.
This time, however, the Singaporean came out on top when the bigger prize was at stake.
Teo Had Already Made Singapore MMA History
Even before Tuesday’s final, Teo had already secured a first for Singapore.
MMA is appearing as a medal sport at the Asian Games for the first time at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. On 20 September, Teo defeated Iran’s Arezou Salimighalehtaki 3-0 in the quarter-finals, guaranteeing Singapore its first Asian Games medal in the sport.
She then faced India’s Suchika Tariyal in the semi-finals on 21 September.
That bout proved far more complicated. The contest went into a one-minute overtime period after the regulation rounds were level. Teo was initially awarded the overtime decision, but the Indian camp challenged it. A subsequent review ruled the contest a draw, after which the competition’s tiebreak rules allowed Teo to advance because she had been the lighter fighter at the weigh-in.
The result guaranteed Teo at least silver and set up Tuesday’s final against Sobirova.
Gold Comes After a Long MMA Career
Teo entered the Asian Games with a decade of professional MMA experience.
She made her professional debut in 2016 and later competed in ONE Championship, where she recorded an 8-2 record between 2016 and 2022. She subsequently went through a period of almost three years without competing before returning to action in 2025.
The Asian Games also required an adjustment from the professional circuit. Unlike a single professional bout, Teo had to compete repeatedly across several days and make weight throughout the tournament.
She arrived in Nagoya saying gold was her target.
Three bouts later, that is exactly what she is bringing home.
