Ritu Phogat ready to show the world what ‘The Indian Tigress’ is capable of

‘The Indian Tigress’ Ritu Phogat will make her long-awaited return to the circle at ONE 161 against the always dangerous Tiffany ‘No Chill’ Teo.

'No Chill' is looking to make a run at atomweight after effectively cleaning out the women's strawweight division, with the exception of the division's queen, Xiong Jing Nan. The only two losses of her MMA career have come against Xiong.

However, she will face another tough task against a world-class wrestler in Ritu Phogat. Eager to get back into the win column, Phogat shared some thoughts on the upcoming contest while speaking to ONE Championship. In the interview, ‘The Indian Tigress’ said:

“It’s a very important fight. She is an experienced athlete and people look up to her. But I will show on September 29 what ‘The Indian Tigress’ can do.”

In her last appearance, Phogat came up short in the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix tournament final against fan-favorite Stamp Fairtex. Prior to that, ‘The Indian Tigress’ had earned three straight victories over Lin Heqin, Meng Bo, and Jenelyn Olsim. Meanwhile, Teo has won three of her last five with two losses coming against the aforementioned Xiong Jing Nan.

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Ritu Phogat wants to let her hands do the talking against Tiffany Teo at ONE 161

Ritu Phogat’s bread and butter inside the circle thus far has been her wrestling, which is understandable considering her pedigree. However, ‘The Indian Tigress’ is ready to test out her hands against Tiffany Teo at ONE 161.

Speaking to ONE, Phogat shared that during her extended time away from competition, she put in significant work on her striking skills to create a well-rounded game. After months of work, Phogat will be ready to stand and trade with ‘No Chill’ when the two women clash later this month:

“I have tried to improve my striking in the last three-to-four months, and I will try my best to showcase my boxing and striking against her. I want to knock her out and show the world that they have seen my wrestling and ground game, but I can finish by striking too.”

With both women being proficient on the ground, the two may opt to stand and trade with one another. As it stands, Teo would have a significant advantage on the feet, but given that 'The Indian Tigress' has been putting in work to improve her striking game, we could see a new and much improved Ritu Phogat at ONE 161.

What Phogat's highlights in ONE Championship below: