'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
ONE atomweight and Indian wrestling savvant Ritu Phogat is a grappler of a different breed. 'The Indian Tigress', as her nickname aptly suggests, has one of the more lethal wrestling games in women's MMA today.
Having won gold medals at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships, Phogat and her sisters became icons of female empowerment in their home country of India.
Being one of the leading figures in MMA in her homeland, Phogat successfully translated her world-class wrestling skills into full-blown cagefighting. One of the most effective techniques Phogat employs is her sneaky double-leg entry.
ONE commentator, Mitch Chilson, recently posted a video on Instagram with Phogat showing him how to execute the technique properly:
"Ritu picked me up and slammed me like a grappling dummy!"
Watch the video shared by Chilson below:
What's remarkable about Ritu Phogat's technique here is that there's no pause in the movement. From the 1-2 setup to the single-leg entry to the power double-leg finish, there's no stopping the momentum. This makes it hard for her opponents to react and defend.
Save for perhaps the feint at the beginning, the entire sequence is just one swift series of misdirections leading to a strong finish. If the opponent defends the strikes up top, their lower half becomes vulnerable for the single leg. But before the opponent even thinks of defending the single-leg, Phogat transitions to a powerful double-leg takedown. Not a lot of people in the world have the mental agility to process and defend all that.
Ritu Phogat returns to face Tiffany Teo at ONE 161
Ritu Phogat returns to the Circle with a tough challenge ahead of her.
'The Indian Tigress' will face former two-time world title contender Tiffany 'No Chill' Teo on the main card of ONE 161. Their bout, which will take place on September 29, will be Teo's debut at atomweight and Phogat's return to action since losing at the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix final against Stamp Fairtex last year.
Teo is one of the best strikers in the division with enough grappling acumen to keep the fight standing. Phogat, with her wrestling prowess, is quite the yin to Teo's yang. 'The Indian Tigress' can always welcome a scrap on the feet but would always prefer to take the fight to the mat.
Teo's last performance inside the Circle was against Chinese striker Meng Bo earlier this year. Teo used her underrated grappling to submit Meng in the second round. As for Ritu Phogat, the Indian wrestling machine took time to prepare for her next fight after losing to Stamp Fairtex late last year.
Tune in on September 29 to watch the action and drama unfold.
