AI-assisted content: This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed, fact-checked and edited by Norbert Llamas. Figures are dated; see our editorial policy.
Combat sports produced four of the Philippines' first fifteen medals at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Here is the recap.
MMA: Saclag's silver, Alvarez's bronze
Jean Claude Saclag fought his way to the final and won silver in mixed martial arts, and Carlos Alvarez added a bronze. MMA has a large following in the Philippines, and these results show that Filipino fighters can medal against Asia's best under amateur rules.
Karate: two bronze medals
Karate gave Team Philippines two bronze medals. Karate at the Asian Games includes kumite (sparring) and kata (forms), both judged under World Karate Federation rules. Bronze is a valuable result in a sport where Japan, Iran and Kazakhstan are traditionally strong.
A proud combat-sports tradition
From boxing to taekwondo to wushu and jiu-jitsu, Filipino athletes have long done well in combat sports. Jiu-jitsu delivered two golds at Hangzhou 2022 through Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez. Read the bigger story in our Philippines Asian Games history.
What's next
- See where these medals fit in the complete medal tally.
- Rewatch the bouts using our replay guide.
- Get the full Games story in the Aichi-Nagoya recap.