New Delhi: The last time Puja Tomar stepped into the cage, she was moments away from another massive statement win before the fight slipped away from her reach. Now, ahead of her upcoming strawweight bout against Shi Ming on the Road To UFC Season 5 main event on Friday, the Indian fighter says the focus has been brutally honest self-assessment.
Widely regarded as one of India’s most dangerous strikers, Puja admitted she had grown comfortable relying on her stand-up game for long stretches of her career and this time, had particularly worked on her grappling and takedown defence.
“It was just that whatever the shortcomings are, we have to improve them,” Puja told HT, in a conversation facilitated by Sony Sports. “We have to work harder. There is no excuse.”
“I used to be very comfortable in my striking,” she said. “So I decided to come out of that comfort zone and work harder on other things.”
Her Chinese opponent Shi Ming is also coming off a loss against Bruna Brasil last August. Shi Ming – a full time doctor – went viral for knocking out her opponent Feng Xiacan via a brutal headkick in her fight before that. One that gave even the legendary Zhang Weili chills as she watched. Feng had to be carried out on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.
Puja, however, remains confident that her evolution will show inside the cage. “Whether it is striking or ground game, I have to dominate the fight,” she said.
“She is a good fighter but I think I can do better than her. It’s not that I underestimate her.”
The loss against Shauna Bannon in March last year exposed familiar questions around her ground game. Despite a nasty headkick that landed Bannon on the ground, the Irish fighter launched a comeback to register a submission via in the second round in the UFC Fight Night in London.
Puja revealed that much of her recent camp has revolved around cage work, switching positions on the ground, takedown defence and becoming more complete in transitional situations.
“I have worked very hard on my ground game,” she said. “Earlier, I used to avoid takedowns. But now I have worked on it.”
The 32-year-old from Muzaffarnagar continues to train under striking coach Mike Ikilei and has also spent time working with high-level fighters from the Professional Fighters League (PFL) while training at Soma Fight Club in Bali.
Despite criticism following the Shauna defeat, Puja insists confidence never disappeared entirely even though the emotional impact of the loss lingered. Away from training, Puja said spirituality and family helped her regain balance after the setback.
“It was not easy,” she admitted. “It was almost a fight in my favour. It took me some time, but I stood up again.”
And while Indians have endured a difficult stretch in UFC in recent months with losses for all of Puja, Anshul Jubli and Mridul Saikia (Road to UFC, Puja believes the bigger picture still matters.
“I want to make Indians proud,” she said. “I want people to see that Indians can do well in the UFC.”
