"The world I dream of" - Sean Strickland and Nina-Marie Daniele react to the first Indian female UFC fighter, Puja Tomar, debuting on Louisville card
Puja Tomar is all set to become the first Indian female fighter to make her UFC debut. Soon after the news was confirmed, Sean Strickland and Nina-Marie Daniele shared their reactions on social media.
After veteran MMA journalist Chamatkar Sandhu confirmed on X that Tomar will make her maiden UFC outing against Rayanne dos Santos at UFC Louisville on June 8, Daniele shared her reaction by reposting the tweet and writing in the caption:
"This is awesome! Hope MMA keeps growing in INDIA."
Soon after, Strickland shared Daniele's tweet and joked about dreaming of a world where all Indians get signed by the UFC. Jesting about not having to suffer from scam callers eventually, the former middleweight champion wrote:
"This is the world I dream of. A world where ALL Indians are UFC fighters. A world where I don't get called about my social security number being revoked. No more will my phone company put me in a loop of Indian customer service representatives. We are one step closer."
Tomar is a former MFN strawweight champion and has previously competed in ONE Championship, where she made her debut against Tiffany Teo in November 2017. She lost the bout via first-round submission.
'The Cyclone' has emerged victorious in her past four outings and is coming off an impressive win over Anastasia Feofanova at the MFN 12 event last July. She has a professional MMA record of 8-4, with six of those wins coming via knockout.
When Puja Tomar penned an emotional note announcing the signing of her UFC contract
After Puja Tomar signed her UFC contract last October, she took to social media to share the news and penned a heartfelt note thanking all those who helped her achieve her goals.
'The Cyclone' took to Instagram and shared a picture of herself with her MFN strawweight title on her shoulders. In the caption, she thanked her mother, her former promotion's president, her coaches, and her management team, writing:
"Yesterday with the blessings of @ayeshashroff and @mfn_mma , I signed my UFC contract, and became the first Indian Female Fighter to enter into the UFC. Today marks a moment in history, where a young girl from UP Budhana-Bijrol can turn her dream into reality. As MFN strawweight champ, I want to thank Ayesha, Krishna, and the whole MFN team for helping me get achieve this dream."
She continued:
"To my mom, who has always supported me from the start, I will also make you proud... My coaches, who have put in so much time for me to be the fighter I am today, I am so humbled... To the UFC, and to all my future opponents. Know that us fighters from India are both fierce and strong. Know that we will never give up in the face of danger."