In a country where sports are often overshadowed by limited coaching facilities, inadequate guidance, lobbying, and politics, reaching the highest level is very difficult. A sport like MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) can be really challenging, especially for women. And yet we have an extraordinary person, Puja Tomar, whose unbreakable spirit has not only led her to become the first Indian woman to compete in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) but also to win the UFC bout.
The Story of Puja Tomar
Her journey began as a fighter because she was extremely good at it, but there was also a deeper purpose behind it. She stepped into the arena of sports to support her sister’s education. But soon her journey transformed into something bigger than just providing for her family, and she became a name the entire country was proud of.
She began playing professionally in 2013 by fighting in the Super Fight League, founded by actor Sanjay Dutt, in a regional competition. Later on, she competed in ONE Championship.
She lost her debut match in ONE Championship against Tiffany Teo in 2017. She was defeated in the next match as well in 2018, against Jihin Radzuan. She won her first ONE Championship title in 2019, after beating Priscilla Gaol.
She won three tournaments back-to-back in Matrix Fight Night. She fought against major fighters like Jojo Rajkumari, Tenzin Pema, B. Nguyen, and even one of the biggest Russian fighters, Anastasia Feofanova.
Her road to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Puja Tomar’s career marked a breakthrough when she made history on June 8, 2024, by winning the UFC bout after defeating Rayanne dos Santos and emerging a winner by split decision.
In 2025, she went on to fight Shauna Bannon in the UFC but lost the match. In 2026, she had another tournament against Shi Ming, but unfortunately, she lost that fight as well. But her journey is not about counting her wins and failures, but her courage and determination with which she moves forward every day.
Puja Tomar spoke exclusively about her huge achievement as an Indian to win a UFC bout. She revealed that the thing that mattered most to her was her journey and not the result. With every lost match, she gained the ability to fight more and was inspired to evolve and improve and come back with more strength. This mindset of hers continues to drive her through all her obstacles towards the path of progress and success.
Dream of building a New Academy
She has opened up about the true reality of struggling athletes in India. Lack of opportunities, limited coaching facilities, societal expectations, especially for women, and a lot of other challenges that come along with it make such kinds of sports in India feel like a far-fetched dream. A need for a strong support system, especially at the grassroots level, to help athletes reach the peak is essential.
She wishes to open her own academy for young girls and aspiring athletes to provide the kind of facilities that people lack. She wants to make sure that the dreams of all those youngsters turn into reality and are not just left as dreams.
MMA’s debut in Asian Games
MMA is highly recognised as a widely combative sport, and it has been acclaimed as a major global sport. Its inclusion in the Asian Games signals that. But it hasn’t yet reached the pinnacle of global mainstream sport. People are very eager to see MMA rise to the highest level, so much so as to be included in the Olympics, stated Puja Tomar.
Although no formal announcement of it being included in the 2028 Summer Olympics has been made, we can all hope for that.
Puja further added that if MMA is made part of the Olympics, then she would jump at the opportunity to represent India on the highest global stage. She revealed that she has adequate knowledge of how much hard work is required to compete in the Olympics, but she is willing to put in that effort, as that would mean everything to her.
The Bud fighter is widely appreciated and celebrated for representing India on such a global platform. It is still unknown to many people that India takes part in the UFC. However, many young people are embracing this sport and have shown much interest and with growing awareness and participation, the sport will gain the recognition and appreciation it deserves.
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