Tomar Puja is a well-known personality in India's MMA environment. Her journey starts from Budhana in the district of Muzaffarnagar and ends in the world-famous arena of the UFC, showing that hard work and dedication do lead to success. Due to the lack of up-to-date facilities and the existence of MMA in its initial stage when Tomar was growing up, she had the opportunity to use wushu, a Chinese form of martial arts based on speed, strength, discipline, and skill. Aware of the importance of her sport, Tomar became a champion at the national and international levels, becoming one of the best fighters in the country. However, she wished to achieve more, moving on to the professional MMA realm. Today, Tomar is an idol for many fighters in India, especially for girls and women wishing to make a career in combat sports.
Before joining the unified MMA approach, Puja had established herself as an accomplished athlete in Republic wushu, earning herself a name through participating in many international sporting competitions in which she had won several medals. This was an indication that she already possessed all the necessary skills needed to compete internationally. One of the very few sports that requires athletes to have great physical fitness, flexibility, balance, and psychological toughness, wushu skills were the skills that later on turned out to be one of her strong points in her MMA career. However, she had realised that MMA required a wider range of skills. The reason being that, unlike wushu, MMA combines striking, wrestling, grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and cage fighting.
Puja began her professional MMA career with a win-loss record, winning some fights and losing others. Competing in various organisations, not only in India but around the world as well, she consistently maintained the status of being a brave fighter. Just like most athletes, her journey as a professional was marked by losses, which must have been quite challenging mentally. However, Puja took these losses in stride and viewed them as lessons to learn from. In the end, her persistence helped her get into the prestigious Asian combat sports organisation ONE Championship from 2017 to
2020. Despite facing different experiences while with the organisation, she got a chance to compete against professional wrestlers at various levels and also improved herself as a fighter.
After exiting ONE Championship, Puja made her way back to India’s domestic MMA scene with renewed zeal and enthusiasm. She put her best foot forward to cement improvements in her striking, wrestling, and submission defence while holding on to the aggressive style of fighting which had helped her achieve success in wushu. Her efforts paid off in 2022 when she succeeded in winning the title of Matrix Fight Night Strawweight Champion, one of the most prestigious MMA titles in India. This success marked a new era in her career, showing that she had proved her worth as a good MMA fighter who could stand her ground in the ring with others. Winning the title also made her famous in the world of sports.
The greatest event of Puja Tomar’s life happened in October 2023. She was signed by the UFC and became the first Indian woman in history to achieve that feat. Tomar’s signing was a big achievement for the whole Indian mixed martial arts industry. For years, Indian fighters had dreamt of fighting for the renowned and prestigious organisation like the UFC, and Tomar became a ray of hope for millions, not only in the world of mixed martial arts.
June 2024 marked an historic moment for Puja with her UFC debut as she managed to be the first-ever Indian boxer, irrespective of gender, to win a fight in the UFC arena. The fight between her and Rayanne Dos Santos was very close and required significant amounts of endurance, discipline, and mental strength. Puja demonstrated all these qualities and more by displaying confidence in her strikes and her determination to succeed despite the tough challenge before her. The fight judges awarded her the victory, which means that she was the first Indian to have her hand raised in the UFC ring.
After her impressive performance in her first appearance in the UFC, Puja continued facing progressively tougher competition as she made her way through the ranks in the world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion. In March 2025, she was defeated by Ireland’s Shauna Bannon by way of submission (armbar). A few months later, in May 2025, she suffered another loss by submission (rear-naked choke) against China’s Shi Ming. While both results may be considered disheartening, it must also be understood that they highlight the extremely tough competition involved in the UFC. All fighters in the UFC are among the world’s best athletes, and losing in interim situations is a normal part of the game. Far from letting those results determine her career path, Puja continues to train and prepare herself for upcoming challenges. One of the most important factors that has shaped Puja’s development is her dedication to constant improvement. She trains under Soma Fight Club, which is based in Bali, Indonesia. The gym is famous for its high-quality training and for developing excellent mixed martial artists. Training under the guidance of expert coaches and also working out alongside international fighters has helped her improve her skills in areas like combining strikes, defending against takedowns, grappling, conditioning, and strategic planning for fights.
Apart from her feats within the realm of competitions, Puja Tomar has become an important role model for aspiring athletes in India. The field of combat sports has traditionally been dominated by men, and women often face numerous obstacles in terms of society, culture, and economy in attempting to build their careers in this arena. Through her success and determination, Tomar has broken all of these stereotypes. Her successes serve as an encouragement for young girls to believe in themselves and overcome obstacles in areas where women have been traditionally underrepresented.
The same is true of Puja’s story, as it reveals the increasing significance of the sport of mixed martial arts in India. In the past ten years, the sport has gained popularity due to the fact that a lot more training facilities, professional organisations, and competent fighters have appeared in India. Puja’s achievements have played an important role in this process since she proved that Indian athletes can reach the peak in their international careers. This trend will continue to grow among the younger generation of athletes.
Consequently, Tomar’s transition from being a proficient wushu fighter to becoming the first-ever Indian-born woman associated with the UFC stands out as an exemplary case of persistence, determination, and excellence. Her historic win at the UFC and success as a champion at home in India, coupled with her continued efforts for self-improvement, make her one of the most influential MMA fighters in the Indian scene. In spite of the ups and downs in her career path, she continues to inspire many people through her devotion to her goals. Tomar’s success can be considered not only as her own history, but also as an example of creating new possibilities for Indian athletes, especially women, which proves that all great things are possible with devotion and hard work.
References
- UFC. (2024). Puja Tomar earns historic first UFC win for India. https://www.ufc.com
- The Hindu. (2024). Coverage of Puja Tomar's historic UFC victory. https://www.thehindu.com
- ESPN India. (2024). Puja Tomar becomes first Indian to win a UFC fight. https://www.espn.in
- Hindustan Times. (2024). Puja Tomar creates history in the UFC. https://www.hindustantimes.com