India’s strawweight trailblazer Puja Tomar has signed on for her third bout within the UFC, including a contemporary chapter to a profession that has already damaged necessary floor for Indian MMA.
Sources near the scenario point out that Tomar has agreed to face Chinese language prospect Shi Ming on a UFC card focused for Macau on Might 30, with verbal agreements in place as matchmaking strikes towards finalized bout agreements. Whereas the promotion has but to difficulty an official announcement.
If finalized on the anticipated date, the combat would mark Tomar’s third stroll to the Octagon and her subsequent since struggling an armbar submission loss to Eire’s Shauna Bannon at UFC Struggle Evening: Edwards vs. Brady on March 22, 2025, in London. That bout was booked as her sophomore UFC look and ended at 3:22 of the second spherical when Bannon secured the end on the mat. The brand new matchup in Macau offers Tomar a fast route again into the win column in entrance of a fanbase that has adopted her since her days in Asian promotions.
India’s Historical past Maker Puja Tomar
Tomar made historical past in October 2023 when the UFC introduced that she had signed with the promotion, making her the primary India‑born lady to hitch the roster. A veteran of Matrix Struggle Evening in India and a former competitor in ONE Championship, she arrived with an 8‑4 report and a 4‑combat successful streak that included claiming the inaugural Matrix Struggle Evening strawweight title. Her MFN run featured a fourth‑spherical stoppage of Anastasia Feofanova in July 2023 to seize the belt and a second‑spherical TKO of Bi Nguyen in November 2022, outcomes that helped safe UFC curiosity.
The Indian strawweight’s UFC debut got here on June 8, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 57 towards Brazilian Rayanne dos Santos. In a excessive‑quantity placing battle, Tomar edged out a cut up determination and within the course of grew to become the primary Indian lady to win a UFC bout, a milestone second for the game in her residence nation.
Competing at strawweight, Tomar fights out of Soma Struggle Membership in Bali and has been knowledgeable since 2013. Her general resume contains a number of wins by knockout, with a number of early finishes recorded in beneath half a minute throughout her run on the Indian circuit, highlighting a strain‑ahead fashion constructed on placing and Wushu expertise.
The anticipated assembly with Shi Ming in Macau presents an opportunity to rebound from the Bannon loss, re‑set up herself in a deep strawweight division, and add one other excessive‑profile look for Indian MMA followers who’ve adopted her journey from nationwide Wushu champion to UFC historical past maker. Because the bout settlement strikes towards completion, eyes in each India and China can be on the official announcement that confirms date, venue, and card placement for her newest step contained in the Octagon.
