"Two queens in one frame" - Enthusiastic fans react as Puja Tomar joins forces with Indian's wrestling phenom from the legendary Phogat family

Puja Tomar, the first Indian fighter to win a fight in the UFC, was spotted with a fellow compatriot and an iconic figure in the nation's sports landscape. Tomar's historic win over Brazil's Rayanne dos Santos at UFC Louisville in 2024 made headlines, establishing her as a celebrated name in the combat sports realm in the country.

Most recently, she posted a bunch of pictures with Ritu Phogat, the third daughter of former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat. The Phogat family is renowned in India for producing some of the most decorated wrestlers in the nation. She captioned the post:

"It is very important to have good friends in your life who always show you the right path."

Check out the post below:

Fans were thrilled to see their beloved fighters together. They wrote:

"Two queens in one frame. Proud of you both."

"Gotta give it up to Ritu! She was also responsible on the sidelines for arranging a fair deal with the UFC on behalf of Tomar. A lot of folks do not know this!"

Check out some of the reactions below:

Fans react to Puja Tomar and Ritu Phogat pictures [Images courtesy: @tomar_puja on Instagram]

Ritu Phogat famously won a gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. She turned to professional MMA in November 2019 and currently competes in the atomweight division of ONE Championship. She has amassed a 7-3 record in the organization and hasn't competed since her submission loss to Tiffany Teo back in September 2022.

Tomar wields a 9-4 professional record and is basking on the success of a five-fight win streak that highlights an undefeated stretch since 2021.

---

Puja Tomar reveals how she got into martial arts

Puja Tomar hails from Muzaffarnagar, a city in Uttar Pradesh not particularly renowned for combat sports exposure.

While fellow countrymen like Anshul Jubli and Bharat Kandare have represented India on the grand stage of the UFC, they haven't been able to leave a mark as profound as Tomar. The way she sees it, fans are excited "because a girl hasn’t represented India on this platform."

Speaking in an interview with ufc.com, Tomar revealed how an unfortunate incident led to martial arts training. She said:

"Before, I didn't know what the UFC was. I just wanted to protect my family after my father passed away. So I started to learn karate and kickboxing, and after that, I think I can make my career in martial arts.”

She added:

“She [her mother] is always like, ‘Puja, just fight'. She didn't even know MMA and karate, but she said, ‘If somebody says something to you, just kick and punch and come back home.’”