Thailand's Kanjutha Phattaraboonsorn and the Philippines' Jean Claude Saclag Reached Asian Games Mixed Martial Arts Finals
Kanjutha beat Indonesia's Vallensia Fahira Hotmauli three nil in the women's modern fifty-four kilogramme semi-final and now faces Bahrain's Diana Pogosian.
Thailand's Kanjutha Phattaraboonsorn and the Philippines' Jean Claude Saclag both reached gold medal bouts in mixed martial arts at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on 21 September 2026, winning their semi-finals at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center.
Kanjutha beat Indonesia's Vallensia Fahira Hotmauli 3-0 in the women's modern 54 kg semi-final. She meets Bahrain's Diana Pogosian, who beat South Korea's Lee Bo-mi 3-0 in the other semi-final. Vallensia and Lee each received bronze, as both losing semi-finalists are awarded medals.
Saclag, a former wushu athlete, won a unanimous decision over Japan's Daisuke Murayama in the men's traditional 65 kg division. After a first-round bye he had beaten Saudi Arabia's Saud Fawaz Alholem in the quarter-finals, and he now faces Tajikistan's Otabek Rajabov, who beat Kazakhstan's Sanzhar Adilov. His compatriot Carlos Alvarez took bronze in the men's traditional 77 kg after losing his semi-final to Kazakhstan's Yerkingali Burkutalin.
The sport is making its Asian Games debut under rules designed with a possible future Olympic bid in mind. Fighters compete on an open mat rather than in a cage, wear uniforms and shin guards, and elbow strikes are not permitted.
All six gold medal bouts are scheduled for 22 September, the final day of the competition.