Kazakh MMA fighter wins fifth gold for national team at Asian Games

The Kazakh athlete faced Muhammad Nabiyev of Bahrain.

After the first round, the Kazakh fighter’s advantage was already clear: his opponent had blood on his face, while Yerkingali avoided taking damage.

In the second round, Nabiyev tried to grapple more, but it did not help him turn the fight around.

Result: 3:0 in favor of the Kazakh athlete — the first MMA gold at the Asian Games.

It should be noted that MMA is included in the Asian Games program for the first time. Earlier, Sanzhar Adilov won Kazakhstan’s first medal in this sport.

Today, another Kazakh athlete, Kadyrbek Shinbayev, will compete in the final of the under-71 kilogram MMA category. In the semifinal, he managed to defeat an opponent from Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan’s team at the 2026 Asian Games

In the first days of the Asian Games, Kazakhstan’s national team won nine medals: four gold, one silver and four bronze.

The victories came from karate athletes and cyclists. Assel Kanay won silver in karate, while bronze medals were earned in MMA, triathlon and pentathlon.

As a reminder, the 20th Summer Asian Games are taking place in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, and will run until October 4.