Mixed Martial Arts: India
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Ultimate Fighting Championship
2024: Puja Tomar wins a bout, first Indian woman to do so
Rahul Singh1, June 13, 2024: The Times of India
Meerut: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Puja Tomar (30), a native of Bijrol in Baghpat district, made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a bout at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
She achieved this with a split-decision victory over Brazil’s Rayanne dos Santos in the 52kg division category in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, on Saturday. After the victory, Tomar said, “I am thankful to the chachajis and taujis of Bijrol village for their blessings. I will visit them once I am back in India.”
Locals in Bijrol were overjoyed to hear the message and are preparing a grand welcome for her. Amit Tomar (31), Puja’s cousin from Bijrol, said, “The last time she came to Bijrol was in Feb 2022 after winning a championship abroad. We didn’t know much about this sport then.”
Puja’s uncle, Krishan Pal Singh (71), said theirs is a family of farmers. Puja joined the family fields when just four years old, which contributed to her strength and endurance. “When her father died in a road accident, she was just eight years old. She is the youngest of three sisters and was sent to Bhopal to her maternal uncle (mamaji) where she completed schooling and learned martial arts. By the age of 20, she had won five national and state-level wushu championships before winning international MMA championships in Indonesia and the US,” Krishan Pal said.
“In our family, there are many wrestlers (pehelwans) who are Puja’s taujis and chachajis. They are her inspiration, and she has grown up among them. Puja’s two elder sisters are doctors and live in London and Delhi after marriage,” Pal said.
“Nearly 50 years ago, Puja’s immediate family moved to Budhana village in Muzaffarnagar from Bijrol. Her family, including descend- ants of 1857 martyrs, still live in Bijrol. This is the soil of Bijrol which produces loyal and brave fighters,” said Yashpal Tomar, Puja’s other uncle.
Amit Pathak, author of ‘1857 – A Living History’ and fellow at the Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research, talked about the legacy of Bijrol. “Shah Mal, a native of Bijrol, led a large band of around 8,000 farmers against the British, attacking British troops and strategically destroying the bridge over the river Yamuna — the only direct communication between Meerut and British headquarters in Delhi during the 1857 uprising. Though they fought valiantly, they were no match for the organised British troops, and a large number of villagers were killed,” said Pathak.
YEAR-WISE DEVELOPMENTS
2019
Ritu Phogat earns win on MMA debut
Nov 17, 2019: The Times of India
Indian wrestler Ritu Phogat made a successful mixed martial arts and ONE Championship debut, putting together a dominant performance on the way to a technical knockout victory over South Korea's Nam Hee Kim here. Phogat immediately scored on a takedown in the opening seconds of the bout. She executed another successful takedown moments later, this time keeping Kim on the mat and proceeding to cause damage with ground-and-pound. After securing the mounted crucifix position, Phogat pounded Kim out until the referee intervened.
After her dominant debut victory, Ritu, who hails from the hallowed Phogat family known for their excellence in wrestling, thanked them, “I want to thank my sisters and my family, they believed in me and motivated me. I want thank everyone for their support, I promise I'll always give my one hundred percent.” PTI
