UFC brass issues statement on first female Indian fighter Puja Tomar making history inside octagon

MMA star Puja Tomar made her UFC debut as India's first female fighter in UFC and scored a victory to make history.

Tomar, hailing from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, faced Rayanne dos Santos at strawweight in the first bout of the card. Tomar and dos Santos went all three rounds - 15 minutes of grueling, fast-paced back-and-forth action.

Dos Santos used her height advantage and range to dictate the action, but Tomar kept pushing forward to the final bell, causing enough damage to secure the win. When the scorecards were read, Tomar picked up a split decision win (30-27, 27-30, 29-28).

Reacting to Tomar's victory, Kevin Chang, UFC Senior Vice President and Head of Asia, said via a press release:

"Puja Tomar is a pioneer for women's MMA in India, and her win made history. India has a long-standing tradition of women excelling in combat sports, and UFC has been a platform for women to shine since 2013, so Puja's debut shows how far the UFC has come as a sport. We are looking forward to Puja continuing to put on amazing performances as she represents India."

Tomar was ecstatic with her win and dedicated it to all Indian fighters:

"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. 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."

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