Following her performance at ONE Championship’s Inside the Matrix in Singapore on Friday, there’s a good chance India’s Ritu Phogat has lined herself up for a spot in ONE’s upcoming atomweight grand prix, expected to launch in 2021.
Phogat (3-0) doesn’t have the most MMA experience. A glance at her record, albeit unblemished, makes that clear. But Phogat is also a decorated wrestler who won a gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Games.
“Of course this win, everything is important for me,” said Phogat, later adding that when it comes to “the atomweight grand prix, I’m one more step closer.”
It hasn’t been easy. During the pandemic, Phogat has been “away from home, away from family.” But she managed to show more than just her wrestling against Nou Srey Pov. And in addition to fighting for ONE, she has more big things lined up. Including an appearance on The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.
Following her TKO win at Inside the Matrix, Phogat said she was “very grateful to ONE Championship, that they have given [me] an opportunity to be present on a platform as notorious as The Apprentice.” To Phogat, it shows that the promotion considers her “credible enough to present [myself] as a part of ONE: Apprentice.”
The wrestler is also excited to be working with a legend in Georges St. Pierre on the show. Phogat is “extremely excited. It’s going to be a new challenge, a new experience for [me] and [I’m] looking forward to it.”
Watch the full ONE Championship: Inside the Matrix post-fight media session with Ritu Phogat above.
