“I will come back stronger” - Upbeat Ritu Phogat wants winner of Stamp Fairtex - Angela Lee showdown

Indian wrestling star ‘The Indian Tigress’ Ritu Phogat is reeling from a second-round submission loss to Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex, who eventually won the coveted ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship.

Surprisingly, the 27-year-old phenom from Haryana, India, remains upbeat and motivated to get back to the grind and prepare herself for what comes next.

Speaking to the South China Morning Post in a recent interview, Ritu Phogat talked about how she is feeling now, and what she looks forward to as early as next year.

“Now I just want to rest a little bit and after I do training again and more hard work and come back stronger. I want to share that this isn’t the end. I will try my best, I will come back stronger,” Ritu Phogat said.

“Now I’m looking forward to Stamp and Angela Lee’s fight and after, I will see who wins, who is the champion and I will fight with the champion. This fight is going to be very interesting. I’m looking forward to both of them. It’s going to be a very interesting match between both of them.”

For her victory over Ritu Phogat, Stamp was awarded not only the coveted silver belt, but also the chance to face Singaporean-American superstar ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee for the ONE women’s atomweight world title.

Ritu Phogat fully expects to be in contention for the world title next year, and wants to face the winner of the highly anticipated world title showdown. She may have to work her way back up the ladder, but Phogat says she is more than willing to do what is necessary.

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Unfinished business for Ritu Phogat with other atomweights

Of course, there’s no shortage of dangerous opponents in ONE Championship’s stacked atomweight division. Ritu Phogat has a plethora of choices available to her, and because of her fantastic performance in the Grand Prix, she is certainly in a position to pick and choose her next opponent.

There are bouts against Alyona Rassohyna, Denice Zamboanga, and even a rematch with Bi Nguyen, among others. But for ‘The Indian Tigress,’ there’s really only one option - and that’s to fight the best.

“I learned many things because every athlete should learn, win or lose. But especially if you lose, [you should] learn more. So yeah, I learned more tonight. I always want to fight with the best one and next year I also want who is the best. Because if you fight with the best, you learn many things. You learn power, so yeah I want to fight with the best one,” Ritu Phogat said.