Asim Khan loses MMA semi-final but secures historic Asian Games Bronze

Pakistan’s Asim Khan lost his men’s Modern Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) -60kg semi-final but secured a historic bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Asim was defeated 3-0 by Tajikistan’s Mirzobek Umarov in the last-four contest, ending his hopes of reaching the gold-medal bout.

However, his semi-final appearance guaranteed him a bronze, making him Pakistan’s first MMA athlete to win a medal at the Asian Games.

The 2026 Asian Games are also the first edition of the continental event to feature MMA.

Asim, Pakistan’s only MMA representative at the Games, had reached the semi-finals after a convincing 3-0 victory over Cambodia’s Sopanha Pheng in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

The 21-year-old faced a tougher challenge against Umarov, who controlled the contest and secured a unanimous decision from the judges.

Despite the defeat, Asim’s historic bronze marked a significant achievement for Pakistan’s combat sports at the Games.

His coach Dilawar Khan said competing against professional-level opponents was a major challenge, as professionals had been allowed to participate in MMA for the first time at the Asian Games.

“We are happy to compete with them. We won a bronze on our debut as this is the first time that a Pakistani fighter took part in the Asian Games,” Dilawar said.

Pakistan is competing in 23 sports disciplines at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.