Puja Tomar became the first-ever Indian to win a bout at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), defeating Brazil's Rayanne dos Santos at UFC Louisville 2024. Tomar who hails from Uttar Pradesh, made history last year as the first Indian woman to sign a UFC contract.
In her debut fight in the women's strawweight division, she won by split decision, with scores of 30-27, 27-30, and 29-28. It was a close match where both fighters showed their strengths. In the first round, Puja dominated with strong body kicks that landed well on dos Santos. She made dos Santos cautious about attacking in the fight's early stages.
In the second round, dos Santos took control, advancing and forcing Puja to counter while moving backward. Both fighters exchanged kicks. The final round was intense and evenly matched, but Puja secured the victory with a decisive push kick knockdown.
'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.'Puja said after the match.
'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.' She added.
