By OCA Young Reporter Zaynab Kawtharani
Nagoya, Japan, September 22, 2026: Thailand’s Kanjutha Phattaraboonsorn claimed the women’s modern mixed martial arts under 54kg title at the 20th Asian Games Aichi Nagoya 2026 on Tuesday after defeating Bahrain’s Diana Pogosian 3-0 in the final.
The victory at Nagoya City Inae Sports Center completed a successful campaign for Phattaraboonsorn, who reached the final following a 3-0 win over Indonesia’s Vallensia Fahira Hotmauli in the semi-final.
Pogosian received the silver medal, while Hotmauli and Korea’s Lee Bomi collected the two bronze medals.
After the contest, the Thai champion expressed her happiness and relief after handling the pressure surrounding the competition.
“I’m very happy and relieved. All the pressure I was feeling has now disappeared. Winning this gold medal is the greatest achievement of my life,” Phattaraboonsorn said.
Her success followed a lengthy period of demanding preparation. Phattaraboonsorn said she endured fatigue, physical pain and several challenges during her journey to the Asian Games podium.
“I trained extremely hard for a long time. I experienced exhaustion and went through a lot of pain and difficulties, but I overcame everything to win this medal,” she said.
Phattaraboonsorn delivered consistent results during the final stages of the competition, registering identical 3-0 victories in the semi-final and gold medal contest.
The result secured Thailand the women’s modern mixed martial arts under 54kg title and gave Phattaraboonsorn the most significant achievement of her sporting career on MMA's Asian Games debut.