Ritu Phogat has emerged as a dominating force in the octagon after a convincing win against China’s Wu Chiao Chen at the ONE: King of the Jungle at Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday. With it, the “Indian Tigress” extended her winning streak to 2-0 and now seems ready to take on the next step in her Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) journey.
Ritu has now set her eyes for the ONE Women’s Atomweight World title but in order to make it a reality, she will need to test her skills against a high calibre opponent. This would help her move up in the rankings and earn a shot at the championship belt.
Kyrgyzstan will host the Junior Asian Wrestling Championships 2020 for the first time.
Nyrene Crowley nicknamed “Neutron Bomb” likely to be the next opponent
One Warrior Series graduate Nyrene “Neutron Bomb” Crowley is dubbed as the perfect opponent for Ritu to test her skills. Crowley is known for her kickboxing prowess and can pose a significant threat to the Indian. Moreover, Crowley has six professional bouts and three times more mixed martial arts experience than Ritu.
The Kiwi athlete will not be an easy assignment, but if Phogat can defuse the “Neutron Bomb,” it could send her to the top of the atomweight division.
Ritu, on the other hand, carries with her the experience of wrestling which has helped her build immense stamina, power and ground defence.
In her match against Wu, Ritu started out strong and dominated the Chinese in close distance combats in the first half.
The second half saw a more aggressive Ritu. She took Wu to the ground and landed a series of punches that disorientated the Chinese fighter.
In the final round, the Evolve representative turned to her wrestling roots and proceeded to control the action on the ground, where she dominated Wu.
It was a strategy which worked to perfection as Wu’s best efforts to scramble did little to separate herself from the Indian athlete’s superior wrestling technique.
The next MMA action, ONE: HEART OF HEROES is scheduled for March 20 at the Phu Tho Indoor Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
