Three members of Kazakhstan's mixed martial arts (MMA) team have advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. Sanzhar Adilov (65 kg), Kadyrbek Shynbaev (71 kg), and Yerkingali Burkutalin (77 kg) will compete for a place in the final, according to infohub.kz.

Adilov, competing in the Traditional category, defeated Iran's Afshin Salimi Toupghara 2-0. In the semifinals, the Kazakh will face Otajon Rajabov of Tajikistan.

Shynbaev competes in Modern. In the quarterfinals, the Kazakh defeated Bahrain's Qurban Idrisov. In the semifinals, he will face Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Shavkatov.

Burkutalin fought two bouts on the first day. First, in the round of 16 in Traditional, he beat Chinese Taipei's Lin Ming-Dian 3-0, then in the quarterfinals he defeated South Korea's Yoon Tae-yong. Next, he will face the Philippines' Carlos Alvarez.

Kazakhstan's only female competitor, Aigerim Torekhanova, ended her run in the round of 16. In the up to 54 kg Modern category, she lost to Vietnam's Lo Thi Phung 0-3.

Reaching the semifinals guarantees an athlete at least a bronze medal, as the tournament awards two bronze medals. Thus, Kazakhstan has already secured three medals in the debut MMA competition at the Asian Games. The semifinals will take place on September 21.

How Modern and Traditional differ

MMA entered the Asian Games program for the first time in 2026. Both formats use strikes, grappling, throws, and joint locks or chokes. The main difference is the uniform: in Traditional MMA, athletes wear a gi (martial arts uniform), while in Modern MMA, they wear shorts and a rashguard. The gi in Traditional also allows the clothing to be used for grips and certain grappling techniques.

Context

The 20th Summer Asian Games in Japan officially opened yesterday, September 19. The multi-sport event, featuring athletes from 45 countries, will award 460 medal sets: 217 for men, 204 for women, and 39 in mixed events. Competitions will be held in 68 disciplines across 41 sports. Kazakhstan's team at the 2026 Asian Games will include 559 athletes.