5 reasons Ritu Phogat will win the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix

When wrestling icon Ritu Phogat suddenly transitioned to mixed martial arts in 2019, there was a lot of buzz surrounding her decision – mainly because the Phogat name is synonymous with wrestling in India.

Trained by her father, legendary pehlwani wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, "The Indian Tigress" comes from a family of decorated wrestlers. However, she broke the mold when she decided to join ONE Championship and aim for a mixed martial arts world title. Her progress has been mostly positive so far.

Since making her Circle debut, Ritu Phogat has won six out of her seven fights. The 27-year-old has been able to dominate opponents with her well-rounded fighting style, including a steadily improving striking skill set that she continues to hone as she trains among world champions at Evolve MMA in Singapore.

Most recently, she scored an incredible unanimous decision victory over dangerous Chinese veteran Meng Bo in the quarterfinal round of the prestigious ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix. The performance cemented her claim as one of the best atomweight fighters in the world.

Next up, Ritu Phogat finds herself in the semifinal round of the high-profile tournament against undefeated Japanese judoka, Itsuki Hirata. Both Ritu Phogat and Itsuki Hirata are grapplers, which makes this fight very interesting for purists.

That being said, there's definitely reason to believe that Ritu Phogat will emerge as the victor in this matchup. Here are five reasons why Ritu Phogat has a good chance of beating Hirata and moving on to the final round of the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix.

#5 Ritu Phogat: The best wrestler at atomweight

The Phogat family is wrestling royalty in India. Ritu’s sisters, Geeta, Babita, Priyanka, Vinesh, and Sangeeta have all reached unprecedented levels of success locally and internationally in the sport.

'The Indian Tigress' herself is a former Commonwealth Wrestling gold medalist and a World Under-23 Wrestling Championships silver medalist.

In ONE Championship, there’s no competition on the wrestling front. Ritu Phogat is without a doubt the most capable wrestler at atomweight, not only in the Singapore-based promotion, but arguably in the entire sport, and she has proven as much in the Circle.

#4 Ritu Phogat: Improved striking

When Ritu Phogat made the decision to switch from wrestling to mixed martial arts, she also chose to develop her fighting style at the world-renowned Evolve MMA in Singapore – home to a plethora of martial arts world champions from different disciplines.

Some of the biggest names the Indian wrestling star works with on a daily basis include Muay Thai world champions Nong-O Gaiyanghadao and Sam-A Gaiyanghadao. She’s also very close friends with reigning ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion 'The Panda' Xiong Jing Nan, and the two frequently train together.

But 'The Indian Tigress' has former WBA Boxing World Champion Drian 'Gintong Kamao' Francisco to thank for surprisingly explosive hands and vastly improved boxing skills. Francisco is a Filipino boxer who has worked with the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Jerwin Ancajas in the past, and who now currently heads Evolve MMA’s boxing program.

#3 Ritu Phogat: Grappling defense

Evolve MMA boasts of a fantastic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program, and is home to BJJ black belts and world champions such as Alex Silva and Teco Shinzato. Both men have consistently worked with Ritu Phogat in developing her ground game to complement her wrestling.

Hirata, Ritu Phogat’s opponent, is known for her dangerous submissions, so 'The Indian Tigress' has to be at her best. And she is certainly no slouch on this front either.

With the privilege of training and rolling with BJJ world champions on a daily basis, learning the trade from the most accomplished grapplers in the sport, you can bet Ritu Phogat’s submission defense is top notch, and she will need every last bit of it against Hirata.

Evolve has bestowed ample grappling skills on non-grapplers like Xiong Jing Nan, former strawweight titleholder Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, and top lightweight Amir Khan. They are now doing the same for the Balali native.

#2 Ritu Phogat: Past performances

If there’s anything to judge Ritu Phogat by, it should well be her previous performances, and her two most recent outings in the Circle are the best examples. Comprehensive unanimous decision victories over dangerous Chinese fighters Lin Heqin and Meng Bo are proof of her steady progress.

In both fights, she overcame the striking threat on the feet posed by both opponents, closed the distance, and imposed her will. As soon as she was able to come in close, the takedown was imminent. And on the mat, 'The Indian Tigress' has no equal.

The level of control Ritu Phogat has over her opponents when their backs are on the canvas is overwhelming. This alone makes her a dangerous threat to any of the final four in this tournament.

#1 Ritu Phogat: Support of a nation

Last but not least, and perhaps most important, is the amount of support 'The Indian Tigress' has from her compatriots in her native India. National support plays a significant role in an athlete’s career, especially when it comes to combat sports.

When Arjan Bhullar lifted the ONE heavyweight world title from Brandon Vera earlier this year, he became the first mixed martial artist of Indian descent to win a world title in a major organization. Ritu Phogat hopes to follow in his footsteps and achieve the female version of that feat.

She was expected by many to represent India at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo earlier this year, but when she announced her plans to embark on a mixed martial arts career instead, the focus shifted to her becoming a world champion in the Circle.

Ritu Phogat is back in action at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday, October 29, when ONE Championship returns with ONE: NextGen. She faces Japanese judoka Itsuki Hirata in the semifinal round of the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix.