Kazakhstan's men's mixed martial arts (MMA) team has advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Asian Games in full force, infohub.kz reports.
Yerkіngali Burkitalin (77 kg) began his campaign in the morning session with a knockout victory. He then defeated Yun Tae-yong of South Korea by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals. In the next round, Burkitalin will face Carlos Alvarez of the Philippines.
Sanjar Adilov (65 kg) started directly in the quarterfinals, where he defeated Afshin Salimi Toupghar of Iran by majority decision. The Kazakh will next face Otabek Rajabov of Tajikistan.
Kadyrbek Shinbayev (71 kg) also fought his first bout in the quarterfinals. After overtime, he prevailed over Kurban Idrisov of Bahrain by majority decision. In the semifinals, the Kazakh will take on Nodirbek Shavkatov of Uzbekistan.
Burkitalin and Adilov compete in the Traditional category, where athletes fight in sports kimonos. Shinbayev competes in the Modern division, where bouts are held in shorts and rashguards.