“Quitting is never acceptable” - Ritu Phogat vows to come back stronger following loss to Tiffany Teo

Indian MMA star Ritu Phogat has embraced her most recent loss at ONE 161. For many, winning and losing does not matter as long as one never quits. This is what the Commonwealth gold medal-winning wrestler has drilled her entire life.

After losing to Tiffany Teo, Phogat shared her thoughts on the fight on Instagram. She posted:

"Winning and losing both will happen not just in sports but in life too ... My faith and hard work will surely take me where I wanted to be ... Will surely learn from this and come back more stronger because quitting is never acceptable and more than that at last what matters is keep trying and giving your [100] … It’s not the end."

'The Indian Tigress' Phogat had a successful career in wrestling before transitioning to MMA. The young fighter showed tons of promise with a 7-1 record in ONE Championship's competitive atomweight division. She met Stamp Fairtex in the finals of the 2021 women's atomweight Grand Prix and lost via submission.

Having taken some time away, she recently returned to the ONE circle on the comeback trail. However, 'No Chill' Teo stopped Phogat in the first round by way of submission.

Despite two losses in a row, the 28-year-old fighter is not at all deterred. Instead, she is still determined.

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Ritu Phogat and a lifetime of wrestling

'The Indian Tigress' Ritu Phogat comes from a family of wrestlers. At the age of eight, she began training under her father's tutelage along with her siblings and cousins. The family is renowned for their wrestling acumen.

Phogat discussed how she was taught from a young age how to wrestle. Speaking in an interview with ONE, she said:

“We were taught from childhood to fight to win – to give 100 percent. Defeat was never on our mind. It was like we could never lose ... From childhood, it was taught that I had to go there and give my best and not wait for [my opponent]. In the [circle], I do not give any chance to my opponents – I just go and do my thing.”

She added that wrestling is the best base for MMA. Ritu Phogat continued:

“[Being] a wrestler means there is a benefit in mixed martial arts. If you see the top 10 fighters in mixed martial arts, seven of them have a wrestling background."