Indian UFC pioneer Puja Tomar enters the biggest fight of her career to date

Puja Tomar takes on Shi Ming in a special main event on Day 1 of Road to UFC in Macau (Photo: UFC India/Instagram) In October 2023, the UFC signed its first Indian fighter, Pooja Tomar. In June 2024, she won in her UFC debut. In 2025, she suffered her first loss in the Octagon. And now, in 2026, Tomar will go to Macau for his third UFC fight, this time against a Chinese opponent, in front of a Chinese crowd.Tomar was at the center of the most significant period of international exposure for Indian MMA. During that same stretch, she also learned that being the first to do something and being secure in your position are two very different things. UFC does not keep fighters on the roster for symbolic reasons. The record must be moved.Her UFC record is currently 1-1, and at 32, she’s not exactly a prospect for the future. A win is key for the Budhana-born fighter to keep her momentum going and keep her options open. However, a loss could put her at a crossroads. Tomar understands reality and does not try to reshape it.“I haven’t talked about it (my UFC future) with anyone, but yes, my team and my coaches always tell me that a win is very important for Pooja and I believe that too. For me, for my country and for Indian MMA, this win is very important,” Tomar told TimesofIndia.com ahead of her fight against Shi Ming.

The Stakes in Macau

Ming arrives in Macau as something close to a home fighter. The Chinese strawweight won the Road to UFC Season 3 tournament to earn a UFC contract, and while she herself lost to Bruno Brasil last August, many still remember Ming’s stunning knockout of Feng Xiaocan in 2024, a brutal head kick that sent Xiaocan to the hospital and secured Ming’s UFC contract.However, Tomar seems unfazed by Ming’s credentials. Mingo’s professional record is 17-6-0 compared to Tomar’s 9-5-0.“I get it, yes, I was in the UFC before Shi Ming,” Tomar said confidently. “And I’ve fought some very good fighters as well. So I feel like I’ve gained good experience and I believe I can do better than her.”And Tomar is laser-focused on securing a big win.“I feel like I’ve worked even harder this time. I want to make my UFC record 2-1 and I need this win to do that. Right now, that’s all I’m focused on. There’s nothing else on my mind, I just want to go out there and bring back a big win,” she said.

Slow rise in visibility of MMA in India

Tomar’s signing was historic, and following her victory in her UFC debut in Louisville in 2024, the reaction in India was warm, widespread and briefly very vocal. She believes that her presence on the global stage will ultimately have a greater impact on the growth of MMA in India.“After my first win, I saw that MMA has grown quite a bit in India. People started to realize that Indian fighters also compete in the UFC. Many people in India watch the UFC, but even today, many people still don’t know that Indians represent the country in the UFC.”“So for me it was about continuing to win more fights so that Indian fighters get recognized in our own country and people can see that Indian athletes are competing at this level in the UFC,” she said.Aside from the fight itself, Macau also represents a significant moment for South Asian MMA. At least one other Indian fighter will compete alongside the Nepali athlete on the same Road to UFC Season 5 card. In UFC history, it was truly rare to have more than one South Asian athlete on one card. For Tomar, this is a sign of things to come.“It’s always been like, if I’m on my own and I get a win, then it opens a lot of doors for a lot of MMA fighters in the future,” she said. “This time there are already two, next time it will be four, then ten. That’s how the sport will grow.”Chungreng Koren, the former Matrix Fight Night interim bantamweight champion nicknamed the ‘Indian Rhino’, will enter the Road to UFC Season 5 quarterfinals on May 28 as a late replacement to face Japan’s Ryuho Miyaguchi. Nepal’s Rabindra Dhant will enter the same bantamweight division as the first Nepali fighter to ever appear on the Road to UFC series, Dhant also hails from Matrix Fight Night and someone who has faced Koren before.

Why Tomar believes MMA can go mainstream in India

The sport itself has changed the conversation around MMA in India, although it hasn’t changed much yet. Gone are the days for Tomar when explaining MMA to a skeptical Indian parent meant starting from scratch.“A lot has changed compared to before. There is a new generation that is very excited to become MMA fighters. MMA has grown a lot compared to the earlier days, although some people are still not completely satisfied with the sport. They feel that other sports are safer than this. But overall, the sport has definitely grown a lot.”And Tomar witnessed this shift first hand.“Many girls from my village meet me now,” she said. “I have a niece in my own family who took up a bit of boxing after watching me.“They feel that if Pooja can do it, why can’t we? Circumstances were much more difficult then, and today there is much more freedom and opportunity. The biggest thing is that they should never give up.”

From Budhana to UFC

Tomar grew up in Budhana, Muzaffarnagar, a farming community where she lost her father at an early age, worked in the sugarcane fields as a child and left for Meerut around the age of 12 after a local karate teacher at school sparked her interest in martial arts.She went on to train formally in Wushu, winning five national gold medals and representing India at the World Wushu Championships.When the Sports Authority of India offered her a government job, she turned it down. Around the same time, her sister was studying medicine and needed financial support. Tomar heard that someone in Delhi would pay her to fight MMA and she agreed, initially to help cover her school fees.She turned pro in October 2013 in the Super Fight League, finishing her first two opponents in 21 and 24 seconds.After a hiatus, she returned in 2017 and signed with ONE Championship, where she suffered three losses before being released in 2020.She rebuilt her career on India’s Matrix Fight Night circuit, winning four straight between 2021 and 2023, including the inaugural MFN Women’s Strawweight Championship. This run eventually earned her a UFC contract.Tomar has previously spoken about wanting to help grow MMA in India through gyms, infrastructure and creating pathways for fighters. But ask her what really makes the Indian public sit up and take notice of the sport, and the inevitable IPL comparison enters the conversation.“Maybe not right now (a UFC event in India) but in the coming years UFC can reach the level of IPL in India,” she said. “The day the UFC holds an event in India, a lot of people will really understand the level of the sport and how big it really is.”Whether he still competes when that moment comes is a question this fight in Macau can help answer. A win keeps the path open.Watch Road To UFC Season 5 – Round of 16 – Day 2 (Shi Ming vs. Acceptance of offer) 29 May 2026 from 3:30 PM IST Live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 Hindi SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 4 SD (Tamil, Telugu & Kannada) (Regional Commentary between 5:00 PM and 5:30 PM only for Puja Tomar Fight)