Indian strawweight pioneer Puja Tomar has signed up for her third combat within the UFC, including a brand new chapter to a profession that has already laid essential foundations for Indian MMA.
Tomar has agreed to face Chinese language prospect Shi Ming on a Could thirtieth UFC card in Macau, with a verbal settlement underway as matchmaking progresses towards a last combat settlement, in accordance with an individual near the state of affairs. Though the promotion has not but made an official announcement.
If settled on the scheduled date, the bout can be Tomar’s third win contained in the Octagon, and her first since an armbar submission loss to Eire’s Shauna Bannon at UFC Struggle Evening: Edwards vs. Brady on March 22, 2025 in London. The bout was booked as her second UFC look and ended at 3:22 of the second spherical with Bannon ending her on the mat. The brand new matchup in Macau offers Tomar a fast path again to the win column in entrance of a fan base that has adopted her since her days within the Asian promotion.
India’s Historical past Maker Puja Tomar
Tomar made historical past in October 2023 when the UFC introduced her take care of the promotion, turning into the primary Indian-born lady to affix the roster. A veteran of Matrix Struggle Evening in India and a former ONE Championship competitor, she arrived with an 8-4 file and a four-fight win streak, together with successful the inaugural Matrix Struggle Evening strawweight title. Her MFN appearances included a fourth-round stoppage of Anastasia Feofanova to win the belt in July 2023, and a second-round TKO win over Vi Nguyen in November 2022, outcomes that helped safe her curiosity within the UFC.
The Indian strawweight made her UFC debut on June 8, 2024, towards Brazilian Rayanne dos Santos at UFC on ESPN 57. In a heavy-hitting bout, Tomar survived a cut up resolution and within the course of turned the primary Indian lady to win a UFC bout. This was a landmark second for the game in his dwelling nation.
Tomar, who fights within the strawweight division, competes out of Soma Struggle Membership in Bali and has been a professional since 2013. Her total resume contains a number of knockout wins and a number of other early finishes inside half-hour whereas operating on the Indian circuit, highlighting a pressure-forward type grounded in her hanging and martial arts expertise.
The anticipated matchup with Shi Ming in Macau offers Bannon an opportunity to bounce again from her loss, re-establish herself within the deep strawweight division, and refocus consideration on Indian MMA followers who’ve adopted her journey from nationwide martial arts champion to creating UFC historical past. Because the combat settlement strikes in direction of completion, each India and China’s consideration can be on the official announcement confirming the date, venue and card placement for her newest step contained in the Octagon.
