"Am Kanjuta," a Thai national athlete, secured qualification to compete at the Asian Games after her Chinese opponent forfeited in the final round and filed a protest claiming the Thai athlete was not female.
This incident occurred during the 3rd AMMA Championships 2025, which served as the Asian Games qualifying round, held in Luzhou City, People's Republic of China, from 9–11 January 2026.
Kanjuta competed in the women's modern category, under 54 kilograms, and was scheduled to face host athlete Lui Xianei in the final on 11 January. However, before the match, the Chinese side protested to the organizers, accusing the Thai athlete of being male, despite official documents and her passport clearly stating she is female.
Since the protest was dismissed due to lack of medical evidence, official documentation, and no ruling from the organizers, the Chinese athlete chose to withdraw and forfeited the match.
As a result, Kanjuta Phatboonsorn earned the right to advance to the 20th Asian Games without competing in the final and became the first Thai MMA athlete in history to secure a quota spot for this major Asian sporting event.
The Thai Mixed Martial Arts Association (TAMMA) issued a statement strongly opposing the Chinese side's actions, stating that refusing to compete based on unsubstantiated gender claims and against international competition rules seriously violates the spirit of sport and undermines sportsmanship, respect, fair play, and human dignity.
These values are the foundation of all levels of international sports competition.
The statement concluded with, "The Thai Mixed Martial Arts Association
stands firmly with the Thai athlete and upholds the principles of correctness, fairness, and the honor of sports competition with no compromise.
Because sports represent justice, not discrimination."
The MMA competition at the 20th Asian Games will be held in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October 2026. There will be six gold medals contested, and MMA is grouped under combat sports alongside Jujitsu and Kurash.