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Indian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Varun Sanyal, who could not compete in the Asian Games due to medical reasons, has said he does not want to dwell on his medal hopes but talked about his efforts to reduce weight.
Varun, who was to compete in the men's 77kg category, said he had to reduce his weight alone on short notice. "I don't want to go too much into it and kind of yap on about it. But long story short is, I didn't have any officials with me. I had to cut weight alone. It was on short notice. So, it is what it is. I wouldn't recommend that anyone just randomly cuts weight, let alone do it by themselves," Varun told ANI. "But what choice did I have? So, I just did itor attempted, rather. I don't want to sit here and feel sorry for myself. We move on, and I've got a long career ahead of me," he added. MMA made its debut at the Asian Games this year, with Indian women's fighter Suchika Tariyal creating history by winning the country's first-ever medal in the sport. Varun praised Suchika's achievement. It's historic, right? It's a huge deal. I'm really happy for her because I've seen the work she's put in behind the scenes, and obviously on the mat. So, super proud of her, and I'm sure all of India and all of the MMA fraternity are proud of her as well," he said. Speaking about the accommodation issues faced during the Games, Varun said there were some difficulties initially and but things fell into place. However, he said coaches weren't allowed onto the cruise where he was staying. I faced the accommodation problem in the sense that when I got here, at the registration desk there was an issue. Then they sent me to various venues trying to find my name, which was bizarre to me because I had the athlete ID, and that's what allowed me into Japan," he said. "Anyways, it took me about eight hours before I could actually check into the cruise. But once you're in, it was actually nice. The only real issue was that our coaches... or there was no team manager, and our coaches weren't allowed onto the cruise. They needed a specific pass, which they were not given. So it is what it is. The two of us were in there alone, so we just had to stick with each other," Varun added. Addressing the perception that MMA is only a brutal combat sport with a high risk of injuries, Varun said the sport has rules and safety measures in place. "Look, I'm not going to deny that there are dangers to the sport, about injury, right? But then there are dangers in boxing, there are dangers in wrestling, there are dangers in judo, taekwondo, karate. But no one seems to have an issue with that," he said. "And there are rules. There are rules, and the referee is there to protect the fighters if he feels that it's too one-sided, or if he feels that the fighter cannot protect themselves intelligently anymore," he added. Varun Sanyal had withdrawn from the Asian Games in Nagoya after he experienced cramps and body aches in the sauna in his accommodation on Sunday. Medical examination and precautionary blood tests were normal. As he still felt unfit on Sunday morning to participate in combat sports, he consulted his coach and withdrew from the event on medical grounds. "Varun Sanyal suffered from generalised cramps and body ache while in the sauna last evening in his cruise accommodation. He underwent a medical examination and precautionary blood tests, which were normal. Despite rest, the following morning, he felt not fully fit to participate in a combat sport. After consultation with his coach, he withdrew on medical grounds," the Indian Olympic Association said in a statement. Sanyal, who was one of two Indian MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters in the Asian Games squad, is a bronze medallist at the Asian Championships in China in January 2026. MMA is making its debut at the continental event. (ANI)
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