Indian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Puja Tomar grabbed the national headlines after scripting a historic feat at the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the USA's Louisville on Sunday, June 9.
Tomar became the first ever Indian fighter to win the match in the history of UFC. The 28-year-old achieved this feat when eked out a 30-27, 27-30, 29-28 split decision win over Brazilian fighter Rayanne dos Santos in 52 kg bout in Louisville.
As soon as Pooja Tomar was declared the winner of the UFC match, the Indian fighter was overwhelmed with emotions as her historic win has marked a significant milestone in the Indian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Interesingly, Pooja achieved the historic feat in her debut UFC match.
Pooja Tomar put up a brilliant fight against Rayanne dos Santos with her determination and skill to secure her place in the annals of Indian MMA. After losing the second round of the UFC match, Tomar bounced back and inflicted several punches on Rayanne dos Santos. The third round was a close right as it was a different one point as per the split decision.
However, Pooja Tomar managed to overcome fierce challenge by a Brazilian fighter to script an achievement in the history Indian MMA. f
Who is Pooja Tomar?
After Pooja Tomar scripted a historic feat, her name has been buzzing across the national headlines and the whole of India as a symbol of triumph.
Pooja hails from Budhana village in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. The 28-year-old first caught the attention when she became the Indian woman and fourth overall after Anshul Jubli, Bharat Kandare and Arjan Singh Bhullar signed a UFC contract.
Before making her mark in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Pooja is a Wushu champion, having won five titles at the national level. In 2012, the Muzaffarnagar-born fighter made her international debut in Super Fight League.
Then, Pooja Tomar moved on to participate in the ONE Championship, a leading South Asian MMA Championship. In 2021, she gained the spotlight after she achieved four consecutive wins in the Matrix Fight Night.
In 2022, Pooja Tomar won her first international title by winning Matrix Fight Night (MFN) strawweight title.
After making her strides in ONE Championship and Matrix Fight Night, Pooja Tomar made her move to Ultimate Fighting Championship, where she scripted a historic feat in her debut match of the championship.
