Varun Sanyal’s Asian Games debut ended before he could even step into the competition arena, with the Indian MMA fighter ruled medically unfit for his traditional 77kg bout on Sunday. Sanyal, the lone Indian male MMA competitor at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, was withdrawn after experiencing dizziness and muscle cramps following a sauna session during his weight-cutting process.
Around half an hour after his sauna session, he began experiencing light-headedness, dizziness and muscle cramps, prompting a medical evaluation. In the end, the withdrawal brought a premature conclusion to Sanyal’s biggest international assignment to date. The fighter, who splits his training between India and London, had secured his Asian Games berth after claiming a bronze medal at the Asian Championship in China.
The 28-year-old had reduced his intake of both food and water in an attempt to lose the required weight, according to the information available with HT.
“Seeing our Olympians succeed really drew me towards martial arts and eventually towards MMA,” Varun had told SAI Media ahead of the Asian Games.
