“I was a lot faster” - Tiffany Teo says she gained more power and didn’t lose strength at atomweight 

Tiffany Teo’s first foray into the ONE atomweight division was a rousing success after the former ONE women’s strawweight world title challenger defeated the returning Ritu Phogat at ONE 161 on Friday.

‘The Indian Tigress’ made her long-awaited return intent on getting back into the win column after falling short in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix against No.1-ranked Stamp Fairtex.

In the early going, Phogat looked solid as she tested out her striking skills. As she moved in for a takedown, the power of ‘No Chill' defended and took the dominant position. With just seconds remaining in the first, Teo was able to secure the submission and put the atomweight division on notice.

During her ONE 161 post-fight interview, Tiffany Teo discussed the drop to atomweight and revealed that she didn’t appear to sacrifice any of her strength or speed in the weight cut.

“The first thing is the diet. I had to diet a lot to make this atomweight. Thankfully I had help from a professional nutritionist, he’s based in the US. John Sasson helped me a lot [in] making this weight at atomweight. A huge difference I noticed was my speed. I felt like I was a lot faster at a lower weight class compared to when I was fighting at strawweight.”

Teo continued, saying:

“Interestingly, I didn’t feel like I lost much strength. One of my concerns about dropping down to atomweight was I might lose some of my strength at a lower weight class but I felt really great throughout the whole fight camp and didn’t lose much strength.”

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Tiffany Teo wants Angela Lee next

Following Teo’s impressive win in her atomweight debut, ‘No Chill’ spoke with color commentator Mitch Chilson inside the Circle to discuss her first-round submission over Ritu Phogat:

“There were these scenarios playing in my head. I was thinking maybe if I get a KO, it would be great, but I do see myself submitting her on the ground too. And it happened, first-round submission. I’m ready for my 50 G’s Chatri!"

At that point, Chilson revealed to Tiffany Teo that she had in fact received a $50,000 bonus from the ONE CEO for her outstanding performance. Before leaving the Circle, Teo made it clear who her next target in the atomweight division would be. None other than the reigning atomweight queen, ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee.

“Angela Lee, I’m here for you!”