Tiffany Teo Wins Singapore's First Gold Medal at the Asian Games
The Singaporean mixed martial artist beat Uzbekistan's Khilola Sobirova in an overtime thriller to claim gold in the women's 60kg MMA final in Nagoya.
A hard-fought path to the final
Singaporean mixed martial artist Tiffany Teo, 36, won her country's first gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games on 22 September, defeating Uzbekistan's Khilola Sobirova in the women's traditional 60kg MMA final at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Centre. Teo opened her campaign on 20 September with a unanimous-decision win over Iran's Arezou Salimighalehtaki in the quarter-finals, then edged past India's Suchika Tariyal in a tight semi-final the following day.
Revenge in overtime
The final against Sobirova went the distance, with judges scoring one round apiece before an overtime round decided the bout in Teo's favour. The win doubled as redemption: Sobirova had beaten Teo in May's final of the 2026 Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championships.
A milestone for Singapore
The gold is Singapore's first of these Asian Games and caps a standout tournament debut for Teo, who has fought professionally for over a decade.
Reporting: this piece draws on and credits original reporting by AsiaOne.
