Ritu Phogat wants to win ONE Grand Prix to "make 1 billion Indians proud"

Ritu Phogat says that winning the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix will be an achievement for all of India to embrace.

Phogat's wrestling family was the inspiration for the hugely successful 2016 film Dangal. Having racked up a 7-1 record since transitioning from wrestling to MMA, Phogat's popularity has only grown.

At the end of each fight, the 27-year-old drapes herself in her national flag and she will be looking to get her hand raised for the fourth fight in a row against Stamp Fairtex at ONE: 'Winter Warriors' on Friday. Having gotten this far, the Haryana-born star has a chance to create a special piece of history for herself and her country.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, Phogat revealed what the victory would mean for herself, her family and her nation.

"Winning the ONE Championship Grand Prix would culminate everything I have worked for as a performance athlete and a combat sports professional. The win would also mean a lot to my wonderful family, whose traditions and principles are displayed across multiple sports and disciplines. As the winner of the Grand Prix, I would be the first female Indian mixed martial artist ever to hold a world title in the sport, an achievement that would make my nation of a billion Indians proud. My success would also spur a generation of girls to take up the sport as a profession with ambitions to excel in it."

Since making her pro MMA debut in 2019, Phogat has remained fiercely active and even managed to fight on three occasions during the pandemic-ravaged year of 2020.

The hard-working grappler believes she was "meant to be an MMA champion all along" and if she wins the Grand Prix it will mark a magnificent year for Indian MMA. At ONE: Dangal in April, Arjan Bhullar became the first fighter of Indian origin to win an MMA world title in a major promotion.

Now, Phogat has an opportunity to follow suit. Her wrestling skills have seen her overwhelm some formidable opponents already this year. In the quarter-finals in September, she was able to smother and pound her way to a significant win over Meng Bo, one of the tournament favorites.

In the lead-up to this fight, Phogat has described her opponent Stamp as having "subpar ground skills." 'The Indian Tigress' says that her recent wins have given her "boosted confidence" heading into the final.

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Phogat wants Angela Lee fight in India

As well as a beautiful silver and black belt, Phogat will also be awarded a title shot if she wins the Grand Prix.

ONE Championship has long-stated its desire to host a show in India. It remains to be seen if the COVID-19 pandemic will allow for that to happen next year, but if it does, Phogat wants her match with Angela Lee to be on the card.

"Hosting such an event would be a dream come true for me, my family and millions of Indian MMA fanatics at home. It would also be the first occasion wherein an Indian mixed martial artist is challenging for a world title on home soil," said Phogat. "While I have always enjoyed fighting abroad, harboring dreams of fighting in India is impossible for me to avoid. I also believe that the fight's outcome would firmly be in my favor if the title decider is held in India, as the home advantage would be too overwhelming for Angela to overcome. Winning the ONE Championship atomweight title in India would undoubtedly be the highlight of my MMA career thus far."

Lee has not competed since beating Xiong Jingnan at ONE: 'Century' Part 1 in October 2019 and has spent her time off enjoying motherhood.

She is said to be ready to make her return in February next year and a title clash with Phogat on the challenger's home turf would certainly make for a fascinating comeback.