New Delhi: Ahead of her upcoming strawweight bout against Shi Ming on the Road To UFC Season 5 main event, Indian fighter Puja Tomar has been focusing on brutally honest self-assessment.
Regarded as one of India’s most dangerous strikers, Puja has worked on her grappling and takedown defence, admitting she had grown comfortable relying on her stand-up game for long stretches of her career.
Her Chinese opponent Shi Ming is also coming off a loss against Bruna Brasil last August, but Puja 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.
Puja has been training 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 her loss against Shauna Bannon, Puja insists confidence never disappeared entirely and has been working hard to regain balance after the setback.
“I want to make Indians proud,” she said. “I want people to see that Indians can do well in the UFC.”
