Asian Games: Jean Claude Saclag falls short of gold, nabs PH's first silver in MMA finals loss - GMA Network

Mixed martial arts ace Jean Claude Saclag fell just short of a gold medal after losing to Otabek Rajabov, 0-3, in the men's traditional -65kg finals of the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday in Japan.

Saclag will take home the country's first silver medal from the ongoing quadrennial event and fourth overall medal after three bronze medals from karate, soft tennis, and fellow MMA bet Carlos Alvarez.

Saclag, who aso competes in other sports such as wushu and kickboxing, had a stellar run in the competition after beating Saudi Arabia's Saud Fawaz Almoleh in the quarterfinals and hometown bet Daisuke Murayama in the semifinals.

But in the finals, Saclag was blanked as Rajabov of Tajikistan surged to the gold medal and delivered his country's second gold and third overall medal.

Saclag had also seen success in his two other sports, winning a silver in the 2014 Asian Games wushu sanda -60kg and three gold medals in Southeast Asian Games kickboxing events in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

As an MMA athlete, Saclag also bagged a gold in the 2026 Asian Championship in the same category.