Indian strawweight Puja Cyclone Tomar has scripted history by becoming the first Indian MMA fighter to win a bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). It was a momentous moment in Louisville, Kentucky, as UFC Fight Night featured this top Indian star, who made her debut in the globally acclaimed MMA promotion, UFC where she faced Brazils Rayanne Amanda dos Santos. The Cyclone gave a tough fight to a Brazilian MMA star, creating a landmark moment for the Indian womens MMA scene.Tomars remarkable achievement Tomar had won the previous four matches of the tournament on the other hand Rayanne Amanda was trying to rebound from her loss in her UFC debut. Tomars performance of one of a kind, she did an amazing job in delivering kicks to the body from range. DEBUT DUBS 🙌Puja Tomar takes the split decision at #UFCLouisville 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/IMYkYlcDKj— UFC (@ufc) June 8, 2024Historic!! Puja Cyclone Tomar @pujatomar19 of Muzaffarnagar, UP becomes the first Indian MMA fighter to win a bout in the@ufc. She beats Rayanne Dos Santos of Brazil by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28) in the womens strawweight division at UFC Cannonier-Imavov. pic.twitter.com/syhIn0uz2B— jonathan selvaraj (@jon_selvaraj) June 8, 2024Throughout the rounds, both the women maintained a powerful performance, making the bout a neck-to-neck fight. Meanwhile, Puja tried to keep her rival off-balance, establishing herself as being a better striker in most of the rounds and finally defeated Santos via split decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).Puja Tomar is looking to make history in her UFC Debut! 🇮🇳#UFCLouisville pic.twitter.com/mpjPTmHvFn— UFC (@ufc) June 8, 2024What did she say about her victory Puja added that this is not her win rather it is a victory for all Indian fans and fighters. She added that previously people had this assumption that Indian fighters had no standing and were underestimated everywhere. She said that she wanted to prove to everyone that Indian fighters are not losers. This win is for all Indian fans and all Indian fighters.Puja Tomar made history as the first fighter from India to earn a victory in the UFC and believes this is just the beginning for Indian MMA.#UFCLouisville Results, Interviews & More ➡️: https://t.co/q1sERicfLN— UFC News (@UFCNews) June 8, 2024Who is Puja TomarHailing from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, Puja Tomar is a five-time national wushu champion, she kickstarted her MMA career with the now-defunct Super Fight League in 2012. In 2017, the 28-year-old participated in one bout with South Asias top mixed martial arts promotion, ONE Championship. But with the Singapore-based promotion, she was defeated in four of her five fights. After joining the MFN in 2021, she won four straight matches and went on to defeat Bi Nguyen at MFN 10 in November 2022 to earn the MFN strawweight title.Who else has represented India in UFC Anshul Jubli and Bharat Kandare have represented India on the world stage before Tomar in the UFC. Also, Canada-based Arjan Singh Bhullar had an opportunity to represent the country but none of them could have their shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship making it an exceptional yet momentous moment for Tomar as she clinched the victory in her debut match.
