New Delhi [India], April 1 (ANI): India’s Puja Tomar is set to return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on May 29 for a crucial strawweight bout against China’s Shi Ming at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, marking another significant milestone in India’s growing footprint in global mixed martial arts (MMA).<\/p>\n
The contest is part of the Road to UFC Season 5 card, a premier platform designed to showcase Asia’s top MMA prospects and integrate them into the UFC ecosystem. The event will precede UFC Fight Night: Song vs Figueiredo, scheduled for May 30, according to a release.<\/p>\n
For Puja Tomar, this is her third UFC appearance and a key opportunity to build momentum in the strawweight division while carrying forward India’s representation in one of the world’s fastest-growing combat sports categories.<\/p>\n
Hailing from Budhana, Uttar Pradesh, Tomar’s journey reflects the evolution of Indian MMA. A five-time national Wushu champion and former Matrix Fight Night titleholder, she made history in 2024 as the first Indian woman to win a UFC fight. Her aggressive striking style, high pace, and ability to absorb pressure have made her a compelling athlete to watch on the global stage.<\/p>\n
“This fight is a big step in my journey,” said Puja Tomar, Indian MMA flag bearer. “I carry my country with me every time I enter the Octagon. The preparation has been strong and focused, and I am ready to perform. I want young athletes in India to see that this path is real and achievable.”<\/p>\n
Her opponent, Shi Ming, enters the bout with strong credentials, including a win in the Road to UFC Season 3 women’s strawweight tournament. Competing closer to home, Shi is expected to have strong regional support, adding further intensity to the matchup.<\/p>\n
Industry stakeholders see Tomar’s participation as a reflection of India’s growing readiness to compete at elite levels in MMA. Amitesh, Founder of LegaXy, described the bout as a significant moment for the sport in the country.<\/p>\n
“This is an important moment for Indian MMA. Puja’s journey reflects the steady progress of the sport in India, where athletes are now training with greater structure and long-term intent. It also signals the growing readiness of Indian fighters to compete on bigger global stages,” he said. (ANI)<\/p>\n
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Delhi [India], April 1 (ANI): India’s Puja Tomar is set to return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":578305,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,83100,250183,785,283687,83101,85,81329,787,44865],"class_list":{"0":"post-578304","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-galaxy-arena","12":"tag-indian-mma","13":"tag-mma","14":"tag-puja-tomar","15":"tag-shi-ming","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-strawweight","18":"tag-ufc","19":"tag-ufc-fight-night"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/578305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}