The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the biggest and grandest stage for an MMA fighter to show his skillset and across years many fighters have claimed glory and written their name in the history books. Puja Tomar added her name among them after becoming the first India-born fighter to win inside the prestigious UFC octagon. She defeated Brazil's Rayanne dos Santos by a split decision after a gruesome three-round fight in Louisville, United States, on June 9 (Sunday).
Puja Tomar creates history
Puja Tomar opened the preliminary card of the UFC Fight Night headlined by Jared Cannonier vs Nassourdine Imavov Middleweight clash. She is the first Indian woman to compete in UFC and has also become the first Indian fighter with a win in the UFC. She competed in the Strawweight category. It was a technical striking fest with some brutal back and forth. Both fighters were not ready to give up and showed some great resilience.
The Indian veteran was standing southpaw and used her kicks to cut down the reach and get crucial points over the Brazilian. Dos Santos was constantly moving with the forward pressure but Puja was able to counter it with her own strikes and did not allow her opponent to get at an advantageous position. After a three-round war, the judges scored 29-28, 27-30, and 30-27 in favour of Puja. Judge Derek Cleary and Matt Jones had Puja as the winner, whereas Sal D'Amato scored for Dos Santos.
Puja, who has competed at some of the biggest promotions in the world like One Championship and Matrix Fight Night. She was also the Strawweight champion of the MFN before getting her big break in the UFC. Last year, Anshul Jubli also competed in the UFC but failed to secure despite a great performance. Both Jubli and Tomar train at Soma Fight Club together. Indian fans can watch her fight on Sony Sports Network and stream it on Sony LIV app.
Puja Tomar's message after the historic win
Puja roared from the octagon and expressed how proud she was to get this win for all the Indian fans and how she felt walking out on an Indian song with the Indian flag. She also promised to improve herself and come back stronger for her next fight.
"I want to show the world that Indian fighters are not losers. We are going all the way up! We are not going to stop! We'll become a UFC champion soon! This win is not my win, it's for all Indian fans and all Indian fighters. I walked out to my Indian song with the Indian flag, and I felt so proud. I had goosebumps. Inside (the Octagon), there was no pressure, I just thought, 'I have to win'. I took two or three punches, but I'm OK. I'm going to improve myself and I'm going all the way up," said Puja Tomar after the fight.
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