Puja Tomar Targets KO Win To Spoil Bi Nguyen’s Vietnamese Homecoming
Following the biggest win of her career in her last match, India’s Puja “The Cyclone” Tomar cannot wait to take on a new challenge at ONE: IMMORTAL TRIUMPH.
Next Friday, 6 September the rising star from Muzaffarnagar is set to face Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in a women’s atomweight Muay Thai match-up.
This assignment came as a surprise to the 25-year-old after a trio of mixed martial arts contests on the global stage, but the experienced striker was thrilled to accept her first ONE Super Series encounter at the Phu Tho Indoor Stadium.
“I did not expect [ONE matchmakers] would give me an opportunity in ONE Super Series because I thought that I could only do mixed martial arts bouts,” she reveals.
“But I am happy that I am competing in a stand-up contest. My background is wushu, and I have a lot of experience in stand-up bouts.
“I am always super ready for Muay Thai, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts bouts in ONE – it’s an honor for me!”
The Crossfit Fitness Academy representative is still new to the sport in which she has showcased her skills in ONE, but she is an accomplished veteran in the wushu world – a national champion in the discipline who boasts a phenomenal 67-5 record.
Despite being a newcomer to the Muay Thai ruleset, “The Cyclone” has trained alongside some elite proponents of “the art of eight limbs” to adapt her elite stand-up ability for the demands of a new ruleset.
“I have done training camps at Evolve and Phuket Top Team. I am following the steps for Muay Thai training that I learned from there,” she explains.
Tomar’s Vietnam-born rival may not be able to match her for overall ring time, but she is experienced in Muay Thai competition, and is a US national champion with a record of 12-3.
She will also have a partisan crowd behind her, but the Indian hero is no stranger to beating a local hero in their own backyard in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and she believes she has the tools to prevail.
“[Nguyen] is a very good striker that has potential, and she is fighting in her home country, so that will definitely help her,” she adds.
“[But] she does not have a big heart, and she can’t take too many shots. I have been in the striking game for years, and I have a big heart which I already showed in my previous fights.”
The rules may have changed, but the confidence Tomar has taken from her big win over Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol in January is still there.
She believes that she can maintain her momentum in Ho Chi Minh City next Friday in the most emphatic style possible.
“I am super confident. I really enjoyed my first win in ONE, and I want to stay on the winning track,” she says.
“For the Vietnamese fans, it is a great match-up – striker versus striker. My prediction is that I am going to knock her out in the very first round.”
