Asian Youth Games 2025: Shriya Satam bags silver medal in traditional MMA

Shriya Milind Satam clinched the Traditional MMA Girls' 50 Kg silver medal at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Manama, Bahrain, on Saturday.

She lost the final to Kazakhstan's Amelina Bakiyeva, but became the first Indian female athlete to bag an MMA medal at the Asian Youth Games.

In the final, she didn't get many chances of attack as Amelia came out all guns blazing and found a very tight grip on Shriya's hand, resulting in a first-minute hand submission win.

Shriya has had a strong outing before the final as she topped her group with two clean wins against athletes from the UAE and Kyrgyzstan.

This was India's second medal in MMA, which is making its debut at the Asian Youth Games, after the bronze medal of Veer Bhadu in the Boys' 80 Kg category on Friday.

With this, Kazakhstan has also surpassed India in the medal standings, dropping India to sixth place with 16 medals — 2 gold, 6 silver, 8 Bronze.

What is Submission in MMA?

In MMA, a submission occurs when a fighter secures a tight hold on an opponent's body part, such as the neck or arm, preventing them from escaping.

After that, the referee stops the contest if the hold is deemed dangerous or likely to cause injury, declaring a submission victory for the athlete.