'Had to cut weight alone….': MMA fighter Varun Sanyal opens up on withdrawal

Indian MMA fighter Varun Sanyal, who withdrew from the Asian Games due to medical reasons, has opened up about his weight-cutting efforts and said he does not want to feel sorry for himself. Sanyal was set to compete in the men’s 77kg category but had to cut weight on his own at 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 it—or 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 is making its Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya, with Indian fighter Suchika Tariyal becoming the country’s first medallist in the sport. Varun praised her 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.

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Varun also spoke about accommodation issues during the Games and said that it took around eight hours to complete his check-in, while his coaches were not allowed to stay on the cruise due to pass-related issues.

“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.

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On concerns over MMA’s injury risks, Varun said the sport has rules and safety measures.

“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.

Sanyal withdrew after suffering cramps and body aches while using the sauna at his accommodation. His medical examination and precautionary blood tests were normal, but he still felt unfit the following morning.

“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.

Sanyal, a bronze medallist at the 2026 Asian Championships in China, was one of two Indian MMA fighters selected for the Games.

With inputs from agencies