Three representatives of Kazakhstan's mixed martial arts (MMA) team have reached the semifinals of the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. Sanzhar Adilov (65 kg), Kadyrbek Shynbayev (71 kg) and Yerkingali Burkutalin (77 kg) will compete for a place in the final. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Adilov defeats Iranian opponent
Adilov, competing in the Traditional category, proved stronger than Iran's Afshin Salimi Tupgara. The bout ended with a score of 2:0. In the semifinal, the Kazakh will face Tajikistan's Otabek Radjabov.
Shynbayev beats Bahraini rival
Shynbayev competes in Modern. In the quarterfinal, the Kazakh defeated Bahrain's Kurban Idrisov. In the semifinal, he will face Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Shavkatov.
Burkutalin fought twice on the first day
Burkutalin fought two bouts on the first day. First, in the 1/8 finals in Traditional, he defeated Chinese Taipei's Lin Ming-Dian with a score of 3:0, and then in the quarterfinal he got past South Korea's Yun Tae Yeon. Next, he will face the Philippines' Carlos Alvarez.
Torekhanova exits in the 1/8 finals
Kazakhstan's only female representative in the women's tournament, Aigerim Torekhanova, finished her performance in the 1/8 finals. In the Modern category up to 54 kg, she lost to Vietnam's Lo Thi Fung with a score of 0:3.
Three medals guaranteed
Reaching the semifinal guarantees an athlete at least a bronze medal, since the tournament provides for two bronze medals. Thus, Kazakhstan has already secured three medals in the debut MMA competitions at the Asian Games. The semifinals will take place on September 21.
MMA makes its Asian Games debut
MMA entered the Asian Games program for the first time precisely in 2026. Both formats use strikes, wrestling, throws and submission or choke holds. The main difference lies in the equipment: in Traditional MMA, athletes compete in a gi – a sports kimono – while in Modern MMA they wear shorts and a rashguard. The presence of a gi in Traditional also allows the clothing to be used for grips and certain wrestling actions.
2026 Asian Games: 45 countries and 460 medal sets
The XX Summer Asian Games in Japan officially opened yesterday, September 19. In the multi-sport competitions featuring athletes from 45 countries, 460 sets of medals will be awarded. 217 among men, 204 among women and 39 in mixed categories. The tournaments will be held in 68 disciplines across 41 sports. Kazakhstan's team at the 2026 Asian Games will include 559 athletes.