ONE 161 winner Tiffany Teo knows exactly who she wants next, and that’s ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee.
Few would have expected Indian wrestling standout Ritu Phogat to be dominated on the ground at ONE 161 on Thursday, but that is exactly what happened in her atomweight fight with Teo.
Moving down in weight at the event, Singapore’s Teo had her sights set on the women’s atomweight title currently held by “Unstoppable” Lee (Lee herself would be in action at ONE on Prime Video 2 the very next day, challenging for strawweight gold). But first up came Phogat, a decorated wrestler who had gone to the final of ONE’s atomweight grand prix last year.
Things went badly for Phogat when she was unable to impose her will and get the fight down on her terms early in the opening round. Instead, Teo made things look easy on Thursday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The pair, as expected, went to the ground in short order, after Phogat spent time pursuing a takedown along the fence. Teo reversed that, allowing her to take her opponent’s back and get one hook in.
From there, the atomweight pair spent the bulk of the round on the mat, with Teo in control throughout. She would work on a rear-naked choke, add several knees while in transition, and eventually retake the back and secure the rear-naked choke with just seconds left in the round, forcing a tap.
The victorious Teo (11-2), who has now won two straight, made it clear what she wants next following the win. “Angela Lee, I’m here for you!” she exclaimed in her post-fight interview.
Teo previously competed for ONE Championship’s then-vacant strawweight title in 2018, coming up short against current champion Xiong Jing Nan.
Official Result: Tiffany Teo def. Ritu Phogat by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:52
