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Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat is barely two years into her combined martial arts profession, however she’s already inside touching distance of a strap in The Residence of Martial Arts.
On Friday, 3 December, the Indian famous person will face off towards Stamp Fairtex within the ONE Girls’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Ultimate at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS. The winner will declare the celebrated silver belt and develop into the following World Title challenger for reigning atomweight queen “Unstoppable” Angela Lee.
It’s been a roller-coaster journey for Phogat because the match was introduced. Earlier than her huge co-main occasion conflict with Stamp, let’s revisit the unbelievable run that finally took her to the ultimate.
How It Began
When ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong first introduced the match in October 2020, Phogat was 2-0 and simply starting her new journey in MMA.
By the top of the yr, “The Indian Tigress” had added two extra wins to her slate, placing her in an ideal place to problem the division’s elite.
And when the Grand Prix contributors had been chosen in February 2021 – with Phogat formally included – the Evolve athlete was brimming with confidence and able to show she may hold with the very best atomweights on the planet.
A Transient Exit
Nonetheless comparatively new to combined martial arts, the Indian wrestling sensation wished to remain busy till the match acquired underway. She accepted a bout towards Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen at ONE: DANGAL regardless of figuring out {that a} setback may knock her out of the eight-woman discipline.
Earlier than their matchup, Nguyen said that she wouldn’t be a “warmup combat” for anyone – and he or she made good on that promise. Phogat dropped a break up determination in a particularly shut battle with the Vietnamese-American and was faraway from the Grand Prix because of this.
“The Indian Tigress” was extraordinarily disillusioned, however as a substitute of hanging her head, she was decided to get again on the horse and attempt to earn her spot again.
Motivated by her well-known father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, the Indian athlete outworked “MMA Sister” Lin Heqin in her subsequent combat to earn a convincing unanimous determination win at ONE: BATTLEGROUND.
It was sufficient for ONE’s matchmakers to place “The Indian Tigress” again into the Grand Prix bracket.
A Beautiful Event Run
The most important match in girls’s combined martial arts kicked off on the groundbreaking all-female occasion, ONE: EMPOWER, in September this yr.
Phogat was elated to be competing, however she had a critical activity forward of her within the quarterfinals – a date with #2-ranked contender and match favourite Meng Bo.
Issues regarded grim for “The Indian Tigress” when she was harm by a proper hand from the Chinese language powerhouse early within the bout. However simply as she’d carried out after being faraway from the Grand Prix, Phogat bounced again.
The 27-year-old absorbed Meng’s early strain, regained her senses, and got here again stronger. She dominated the second and third rounds to say the largest win of her profession and booked her slot within the subsequent spherical.
Phogat was initially set to face fellow unbeaten atomweight Itsuki “Android 18” Hirata within the semifinals at ONE: NEXTGEN in October, however the Japanese star was compelled to withdraw from the battle on quick discover.
In stepped Filipino phenom Jenelyn Olsim, however the aim remained the identical for “The Indian Tigress.”
Regardless of some spirited assaults from her younger rival, Phogat used her wrestling and ground-and-pound to regulate the competition, earn a unanimous determination, and safe her place within the ONE Girls’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Ultimate.
The Grand Finale
Instantly after defeating Olsim, Phogat watched carefully as Stamp defeated Julie Mezabarba with a convincing unanimous determination of her personal to cement the ultimate matchup.
That contest will happen at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS in Singapore on Friday, 3 December – and now, there’s a most of three rounds left between “The Indian Tigress” and her match aim.
The Indian Wrestling Champion’s confidence has exploded resulting from her latest run of kind. She actually believes she’s the front-runner for the Grand Prix belt and can develop into the division’s subsequent #1 contender.
“I feel Stamp is afraid of me as a result of she has seen my excellent wrestling abilities,” Phogat says of the previous Muay Thai and kickboxing queen.
“She won’t underestimate me due to all that she has [already] seen. I’m going to be much more harmful, and I’m going to unleash myself on my opponent within the subsequent match.”
Learn extra: 5 Causes To Be Excited For Qiu Jianliang’s Huge ONE Debut
