Lee Bomi Wins Bronze, Becomes Korea's First Asian Games MMA Medalist

Lee Bomi has made history as the first Korean athlete to win a medal in mixed martial arts (MMA) at the Asian Games.

On September 21, at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, Lee earned the bronze medal after losing 0-3 to Diana Poghosyan of Bahrain in the women's modern 54 kg MMA semifinal, held at the Inae Sports Center in Nagoya, Japan.

In MMA, instead of holding a separate match for the bronze medal, both athletes who lose in the semifinals are awarded the bronze medal.

This year marks the first time MMA has been included as an official sport at the Asian Games. Three Korean athletes competed in the event: Lee Bomi, Choi Eunseok (men's modern 71 kg), and Yoon Taeyoung (men's traditional 77 kg). With Choi and Yoon both eliminated in the quarterfinals, Korea's MMA campaign at this Asian Games concludes with Lee Bomi's single bronze medal.

Lee secured the bronze medal in advance by defeating Roti Phung of Vietnam 2-1 in the quarterfinal held the previous day.

MMA is divided into two categories—traditional and modern—based on rule sets and attire. In the traditional category, athletes wear a gi and are allowed to throw or apply submission techniques using the gi. In the modern category, fighters wear MMA shorts and rash guards, and grabbing the attire is prohibited.

In this Asian Games, “combat sports” include three disciplines: MMA, Kurash, and Jiu-Jitsu. The MMA competitions finish with the final on September 22, Kurash will run from September 27 to 29, and Jiu-Jitsu will take place from October 1 to 3.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.