Phogat’s bout with Jenelyn Olsim was one of two semifinal fights on the night, at the ONE women’s atomweight grand prix continued.

The Philippines’ Olsim was stepping in on short notice, after Japan’s Itsuki Hirtata was forced out of the event due to a non-COVID related illness.

Olsim not only had to contend with the ground game of the world champion wrestler, but also had to be careful not to get herself disqualified in the fight, after landing several illegal upkicks during the opening round. At least two kicks landed in the sequence, which had Phogat on top and in control. A third upkick seemed to graze the Indian fighter; others went wide.

The ref opted to warn Olsim, but no point was deducted. It didn’t matter in the end. Phogat was able to continue, and opened the second round with an emphatic takedown. The fight would play out in that fashion, the third round no different, with Phogat cruising to a unanimous decision.

Phogat improved to 7-1 with the victory, and moves on to the final, where she’ll meet the winner of Stamp Fairtex versus Julia Mezabarba, the latter another tournament alternate, replacing Seo Hee Ham.

The Indian wrestler almost didn’t make it here. Earlier this year, despite having a slot in the grand prix, Phogat opted to take a fight in advance of the tournament against Bi Nguyen at ONE: Dangal, a card built around ONE’s growing stable of Indian fighters. In a shock upset, Phogat lost a split decision, the first defeat of her career.

Phogat then had to win her way back into a grand prix spot, defeating Lin Heqin in July to solidify her spot. In the opening round of the tournament, Phogat got the better of Meng Bo to advance to semifinal round.

Official Result: Ritu Phogat def. Jenelyn Olsim by unanimous decision

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It wasn’t the semifinal match-ups originally advertised, however. With both Seo Hee Ham and Itsuki Hirata forced out of the tournament, a pair of tournament alternates were staring down major opportunities.

In the main event, Stamp Fairtex, the crossover Muay Thai and kickboxing star, was looking to advance to the finals against Brazil’s Julie Mezabarba. Alternate or not, Mezabarba had looked strong in her alternate bout against Mei Yamaguchi earlier this year.

Stepping in to replace Hirtata against Ritu Phogat, meanwhile, was Filipino atomweight Jenelyn Olsim.

In heavyweight MMA action, Kirill Grishenko was set to face off with Canada’s Dustin Joynson at Friday’s event. On the kickboxing side, another heavyweight showdown was set between Anderson Silva and Iraj Azizpour.

ONE: NextGen gets underway Friday at 8:30AM ET, with the card going down live in Singapore. Full results from the event can be found below. Where available, a live stream of the action can be viewed above!

ONE Championship: NextGen Results

Stamp Fairtex def. Julie Mezabarba by unanimous decision – women’s atomweight grand prix semifinal
Ritu Phogat def. Jenelyn Olsim by unanimous decision – women’s atomweight grand prix semifinal
Iraj Azizpour def. Anderson Silva by unanimous decision – kickboxing
Kirill Grishenko def. Dustin Joynson by unanimous decision
Jeremy Miado def. Miao Li Tao by TKO, Round 2, 0:50
Beybulat Isaev def. Bogdan Stoica by unanimous decision – kickboxing

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On Monday, promotion officials announced via press release that undefeated Japanese star Itsuki Hirata had been forced to pull out of the tournament, which resumes at Friday’s ONE: NextGen card. That left opponent Ritu Phogat in need of a new opponent.

Stepping up to take Hirata’s place is Jenelyn Olsim, who had been expected to fight in a tournament alternate bout against Jihin Radzuan.

Hirata was reportedly forced to withdraw from her fight due to an illness other than COVID-19. Previously, Seo-Hee Ham was also forced to drop out of her fight with Stamp Fairtex.

Olsim (5-2) will enter her fight with India’s Phogat off two straight victories, against Maira Mazar and Bi Nguyen. She entered ONE Championship via the Warrior Series in 2018, and had previously competed for WSOF Global.

The Filipino fighter will have a tough task against decorated Indian wrestler Phogat (6-1). Having also won two straight fights, Phogat is coming off a unanimous decision win against the much more experienced Meng Bo in the women’s atomweight grand prix quarterfinals.

The loss of Hirata is not the only blow the NextGen card has suffered. Friday’s show has also lost its main event, with Roman Kryklia pulling out of his ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title fight against Iraj Azizpour. An undisclosed medical issue was behind the withdrawal.

As a result, the atomweight grand prix semifinal between Stamp Fairtex and Julie Mezabarba (who replaced Ham) will now headline the card.

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The former Glory Kickboxing and Lumpinee Stadium champion went the distance with countryman Tawanchai, pulling off a split decision win in the featherweight contest. The victory saw Sitthichai bounce back from a loss to Superbon Banchamek (his third in the pair’s career series).

While no title was on the line at Battleground III, there were some high stakes. Earlier on in the evening, Jenelyn Olsim took KOTC vet Bi Nguyen the distance, earning a unanimous decision victory in the process. That lands Olsim in the upcoming atomweight grand prix as an alternate, with the tournament kicking off next month on September 3.

Full results from Friday’s ONE: Battleground III card card can be found below, along with a gallery of highlights. Next up for the promotion is the all-female Empower, on Sept. 3, 2021.

ONE Championship: Battleground III Results

Sitthichai def. Tawanchai by split decision – Muay Thai
Dejdamrong def. Banma Duoji by TKO, Round 2, 3:31
Xie Wei def. Dae Hwan Kim by TKO, 1:46
Jenelyn Olsim def. Bi Nguyen by unanimous decision
Song Min Jong def. Tial Thang by unanimous decision
Purev Otgonjargal defeats Ben Royle by knockout, Round 1, 0:49

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The event, which will air live on August 27, will see Nguyen taking on Team Lakay athlete Jenelyn Olsim. ONE Championship officials confirmed the news to Cageside Press following an initial report by MMA Fighting.

Nguyen’s split decision victory over Indian star and Commonwealth Wrestling Championship gold medalist Ritu Phogat was unquestionably an upset. Phogat, then undefeated, was expected to be a shoo-in for ONE’s women’s atomweight grand prix. Opting to take the fight against Nguyen prior to the tournament, originally slated for late May and now postponed to September, Phogat came up short short against the “KillHer Bee.”

For Nguyen (6-6), the victory marked her second under the ONE banner, not counting a Muay Thai win against Puja Tomar in 2019. It also snapped a two-fight losing streak.

Olsim (4-2), from The Philippines, previously competed for WSOF, before fighting twice under the ONE: Warrior Series banner. Her last fight, at Fists of Fury III, saw Olsim pull off a third-round guillotine choke against Maira Mazar.

ONE Championship: Battleground III is also expected feature a featherweight Muay Thai contest featuring two of Thailand’s best in Sitthichai vs. Tawanchai. The event goes down in Kallang, Singapore at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

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