Puja Tomar Becomes First Indian to Win in UFC

Indian strawweight Puja Tomar became the first ever Indian to win a bout in the UFC as she defeated Brazil’s Rayanne Amanda dos Santos via split decision at the UFC Louisville on June 8. Puja Tomar beat Rayanne Amanda dos Santos 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.

About Puja Tomar

Puja Tomar (born 25 November 1995) in Budhana village of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar. Tomar is a five-time national wushu champion and also has a background in karate and taekwondo. She is an Indian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Strawweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

• Tomar became the Third person from India and first woman, to get a UFC contract.
• The two others were Anshul Jubli and Bharat Kandare have represented India on the world stage in the UFC, as has Canada-based Arjan Singh Bhullar. Tomar is a five-time National wushu champion. She also had a background in karate and taekwondo and won multiple medals in both disciplines.
• She has competed in other tournaments including Matrix Fight Night, where she won the straw-weight title twice.
• The 30-year-old, known as “cyclone”, signed a contract with the UFC last year in October.

About Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA promotion in the world as of 2023. It produces events worldwide that showcase 11 weight divisions (eight men’s and three women’s) and abides by the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. As of 2022, it had held over 600 events. Dana White has been its president since 2001 and CEO since 2023. Under White’s stewardship, it has grown into a global multi-billion-dollar enterprise.

• The UFC was founded by businessman Art Davie and Brazilian martial artist Rorion Gracie, and the first event was held in 1993 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado.

Purpose of UFC

• The purpose of the UFC’s early competitions was to identify the most effective martial art in a contest with minimal rules and no weight classes between competitors of different fighting disciplines.
• In subsequent events, more rigorous rules were created and fighters began adopting effective techniques from more than one discipline, which indirectly helped create a separate style of fighting known as present-day mixed martial arts.