Puja Tomar: First Indian to Triumph in UFC

Pro-MMA fighter Puja Tomar made history by becoming the first Indian to win a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) match on June 8. The 28-year-old strawweight champion defeated Brazil’s Rayanne dos Santos at UFC Louisville 2024. Tomar, who signed a contract with the UFC in October 2023, won her debut fight in the women’s strawweight division by split decision with scores of 30-27, 27-30, and 29-28.

In the first round, Puja dominated with clean kicks against dos Santos. Although dos Santos fought back in the second round, Puja’s decisive push kick knockdown in the third round secured her victory. In an interview with UFC, Tomar said, “I want to show the world that Indian fighters are not losers. We are going to be all the way up, we are not going to stop!”

Puja Tomar began learning martial arts at the age of 12 after losing her father, aiming to protect her family. “I started learning karate and kickboxing, and after that, I thought I could make a career in martial arts,” she told UFC.

Tomar is a national wushu champion and has represented India internationally in the sport. She achieved four consecutive victories at the Matrix Fight Night (MFN), joining the league in 2021. In November 2022, she won the MFN strawweight title by defeating her former ONE opponent, Bi Nguyen, at MFN 10.

As the first Indian woman to sign a contract with the UFC, which began including women fighters in 2013, and Puja Tomar secured her contract over a decade later, marking a significant milestone for Indian athletes in martial arts.

Re-reported from the article originally published in She the People.