“India has a strong wrestling culture” – First female UFC fighter from India Puja Tomar’s debut at UFC Louisville has fight fans hyped

UFC's global expansion was showcased with Indian fighters like Anshul Jubli and Puja Tomar.

“India has a strong wrestling culture” – First female UFC fighter from India Puja Tomar’s debut at UFC Louisville has fight fans hyped

After Anshul Jubli, Puja Tomar set to make her UFC debut (Image via: IMAGO)

The UFC has grown from a domestic MMA promotion to a global MMA promotion relatively quicker than any other. After all, the Brazilian Royce Gracie steamrolled through the competition in the early days. Athletes from several nations have fought inside the octagon. Arjan Bhullar was the first Indian-origin MMA fighter to step inside the octagon, but he was Canadian. Anshul Jubli was the first fighter born in India to fight under the UFC banner.

Jubli won the Won the Road to UFC Season 1 Lightweight Tournament but lost his UFC debut to Mike Breeden at UFC 294. In addition to Jubli, UFC had also signed Puja Tomar, the first female fighter from India to sign with the premier MMA promotion. Tomar will make her debut with promotion at UFC Lousiville on June 8. Nicknamed the Cyclone, Tomar is among the best female Indian MMA fighters.

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Tomar has fought for One FC and Matrix Fight Nigh. Despite losing, she has competed against Stamp Fairtex and Bi Nguyen. Tomar’s opponent at UFC Lousiville is Rayanne Amanda dos Santos. Interestingly, both fighters are natural atomweights but fight at strawweight, as the UFC does not have an atomweight division.

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UFC Louisville is a stacked fight night event. Jared Cannonier and Nassourdine Imavov will headline the fight night event. The co-main event is possibly between Dominick Reyes and Dustin Jacoby. Raul Rosas Jr., Thiago Moises, Andrea Lee, Julian Marquez, Brunno Ferreira, and other notable names are also on the fight card.

Fight fans hyped for the debut of Puja Tomar

India has a rich history of wrestling, even from the ancient period. Moreover, there have been multiple instances of Indians winning in wrestling at the World Championships and the Olympics. However, unlike Russian athletes transitioning into MMA, Indian wrestlers have yet to do that.

Puja Tomar
Puja Tomar (Image via: Instagram)

There are very few examples. Ritu Phogat, from the acclaimed Phogat wrestling family, who fought at One FC, is a notable example. In the UFC, India will announce their first female presence with Puja Tomar, a Matrix Fight Night atomweight champion. See how fight fans, particularly from India, have reacted to Tomar’s upcoming debut.

Interestingly, Tomar does not have a wrestling background, as she comes from a karate and kickboxing background. Even though many fight fans anticipate the arrival of the first Indian woman, there are also prejudicial, stereotypical people hating her arrival.

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