ONE Championship: Ritu Phogat decimates Meng Bo to enter Atomweight World Grand Prix semis

Indian wrestler turned mixed martial artist Ritu Phogat came up with a rolling performance on Friday night to tame Meng Bo of China in the ONE Championship’s Atomweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal. The win has extended her MMA streak to 6-1.

Ritu survived an onslaught from Meng in the opening round, as the experienced latter clearly had the upper hand. While the Chinese attacked with her right hand and even looked to apply the armbar, the Indian overpowered it to survive.

However, the following round, Ritu turned things around surprisingly, using her exquisite wrestling skills. She used her knees and elbows as she rained it down on the Chinese from the top and dominated similarly in the third round as well to win via a unanimous decision and book her place in the semis, where she would face Itsuki Hirata of Japan.

Following her victory, she reckoned, “It feels great to win against a strong and experienced opponent as Meng Bo. I had promised everyone back home that I will commit myself to a victory in the ONE: EMPOWER series, and I am glad to have done so. I was distressed at no point and was confident despite Meng’s superior experience.”

“Hard work is the only shortcut to success, and I have been working hard relentlessly in Singapore, away from everything at home. I am training harder with each passing day and will continue to represent the Indian prowess in the MMA circuit. Today’s win belongs to every Indian woman who has inspired me to look into the eyes of fear and rise and heal every time I fall or break. We should continue to empower each other to reach undiscovered heights and become change-makers in our way,” she concluded.

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