Yeah, there actually are Indian fighters in the UFC right now, and more could be on the way.
The most notable one is Anshul Jubli, who won Road to UFC Season 1 in the lightweight division. He made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 218 and got a second-round TKO win over Jeka Saragih. His last fight was at UFC 294, where he lost to Mike Breeden by KO. He’s still on the roster, so India does have representation in the UFC.
There’s also Puja Tomar, who made history as the first Indian woman to fight and win in the UFC. She beat Rayanne dos Santos by split decision in her debut at UFC Fight Night 214.
And if you go back a bit, Bharat Kandare was the first Indian fighter to ever fight in the UFC. He debuted in 2017 after coming up through the Super Fight League, but he’s no longer on the roster.
Outside of the UFC, though, Indian MMA is getting a big push. The UFC Performance Institute (PI) in Shanghai has started bringing in Indian fighters to train and develop their skills. They’re doing this through the UFC Academy Combine, which is basically a scouting program to find top prospects.
Some Indian fighters currently training at the Shanghai PI:
• Sumit Kumar – Fought on Road to UFC, now developing at the PI.
• Roshan Mainam – Former ONE Championship fighter, now training in Shanghai.
• Punyajit Likharu – An undefeated pro prospect selected for the UFC Academy Combine.
The UFC is clearly testing the waters with Indian talent. If one of these guys gets signed and does well, it could be a huge boost for MMA in India.
So yeah, India does have fighters in the UFC right now, but it looks like there could be even more in the near future. If the UFC is serious about growing the sport in India, this could be just the beginning.
