'She dedicates life to me': Puja Tomar dedicates UFC debut win to 'fighter' mother

Puja Tomar made a rollicking debut at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as India's first female fighter in the American mixed martial arts event.

To make her debut memorable, the 30-year-old scored a victory to make history. She became the first Indian fighter in UFC history to win a bout.

Tomar, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, defeated Rayanne dos Santos at strawweight in the very first bout of the card.

In a gruelling fight of three rounds, fast-paced back-and-forth action, Santos used her height advantage and range to dictate the action, but Tomar went kicking and screaming to the final bell, causing damage in the process.

When the scorecards were read, Tomar picked up a split decision win (30-27, 27-30, 29-28).

"I am feeling really good, I came here determined to win the fight. It is an amazing feeling," said Tomar speaking to Chamatkar Sandhu of Sony Sports Network.

Asked what this win meant to her personally, Tomar said, "My journey in MMA and martial arts have never been easy. It was really hard. I reared this win in my heart and mind. This win is for my mummy (mother), she fought against this world for me. This was win was of course for India, but at the same time, this was for my mother. She was always in my mind when I was fighting. She dedicated her whole life to my career. This win is for my mother."

'Walking in with Indian flag was special'

Sharing her experience of fighting the bout and winning it with Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire being played in the background, she said, "I was fighting that was an amazing thing to do, but the song that I chose for my walk was for India that I am representing my country on the world stage. The moment of coming in with the Indian flag drapped around that moment was really special. It gives goosebump and strenght before the fight."

Responding to the atmosphere at the ring and the crowd roaring in her support, Tomar said, "I have worked hard for this, now I am here as the winner and the crowd chanting my name, and that too in America, was really special. I was buzzing with strength inside and felt motivated to win the bout."

'The fight was in my favour'

Asked whether she was confident about her win before the announcement of the verdict following a tough fight, the Indian MMA fighter said, "Yes, I was confident and attacked really well, but before the bout I could not give my 100 per cent. I felt the pressure in the second round. I have a lot of skills to rectify. But I always felt that the fight was in my favour."

Before the third round, Tomar was seen screaming trying to instill fear in Santos' mind. Asked what was going on in her mind, Tomar said, "I did it because she tried to intimidate me, so I wanted to show her that I am not a loser, I can intimidate her too.

Sharing her message to the Indian fans, she said, "I am coming back to India in two days, we will celebrate the win together. I know my Indian fans are waiting for me back home. I am very excited to go to India.

Meanwhile, Kevin Chang, UFC Senior Vice President and Head of Asia, hailed Tomar.

"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," remarked Kevin.