Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol Believes Ritu Phogat’s Wrestling Skills Are Enough to Beat Jomary Torres
Indonesian top female mixed martial artist Priscilla Hertati “Thatie” Lumban Gaol won’t be taking it too easy once the holiday season rolls around this December.
The 32-year-old ONE Championship veteran is hoping to land a spot in the prestigious ONE Atomweight Grand Prix announced by the promotion over a month ago, so she continues to work hard on her game, upgrading her skills where necessary.
Although details have yet been confirmed regarding the high-profile tournament, including athletes participating, Lumban Gaol says she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to compete in the Grand Prix should she be called upon.
“I will gladly accept the offer. It will be my honor to compete alongside some of the best martial arts talent in the world in the Atomweight Grand Prix. It will be a good experience for me and I will definitely try my best,” Lumban Gaol said.
“For that, I have to try to prepare well, train more intensely, continue to work on my weaknesses and sharpen my techniques. I have a lot to work on, especially my ground skills.”
The winner of the Atomweight Grand Prix is expected to be next in line to challenge reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Singapore, who is expecting her first child with husband Bruno Pucci in mid-2021.
The atomweight top-ranked are all expected to enter the eight-woman tournament, including athletes such as the Philippines’ Denice Zamboanga, China’s Meng Bo, Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi, and Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex.
Athletes sitting outside of the top five who are also highly-favored to participate include Gina Iniong, Ritu Phogat, Jomary Torres, and Lumban Gaol herself.
Phogat and Torres will lock horns next Friday night, 4 December at ONE: BIG BANG, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. Lumban Gaol believes there’s a lot riding on this matchup, with both Phogat and Torres looking to solidify their position in the bracketing.
“This match will be quite interesting, considering both of them have good ground skills,” Lumban Gaol said.
“I think Ritu is good, considering that during the pandemic she has had more fights, and the easy wins have increased her confidence. Although, they are both quite good. It’s going to be an exciting match because both of them have good skills,” Lumban Gaol said.
Though Lumban Goal defeated Torres in 2018, and has had firsthand experience in facing the fiery Filipino athlete, the Indonesian powerhouse believes Phogat’s ground skills will be too much to overcome. Lumban Gaol isn’t shy about picking a winner, and feels the rising Indian star has just enough to overcome her next challenge.
“Ritu has improved her striking a lot, and Jomary has good skills on the ground to handle Ritu’s wrestling. I still think it is likely that Ritu will be the winner in this match based on her superior wrestling, but it should be a fun and entertaining fight,” Lumban Gaol said.
ONE: BIG BANG is the first of ONE Championship’s live event offerings in the month of December. The main event features a showdown between ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia of the Ukraine and challenger Murat “The Butcher” Aygun of the Netherlands.
Watch ONE: BIG BANG next Friday, 4 December on Vidio.com, Kaskus TV, or MAXstream at 7:30 p.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB). Also, SCTV will air the event on a same-day delay at 11:30 p.m. WIB.
The 32-year-old ONE Championship veteran is hoping to land a spot in the prestigious ONE Atomweight Grand Prix announced by the promotion over a month ago, so she continues to work hard on her game, upgrading her skills where necessary.
Although details have yet been confirmed regarding the high-profile tournament, including athletes participating, Lumban Gaol says she wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to compete in the Grand Prix should she be called upon.
“I will gladly accept the offer. It will be my honor to compete alongside some of the best martial arts talent in the world in the Atomweight Grand Prix. It will be a good experience for me and I will definitely try my best,” Lumban Gaol said.
“For that, I have to try to prepare well, train more intensely, continue to work on my weaknesses and sharpen my techniques. I have a lot to work on, especially my ground skills.”
The winner of the Atomweight Grand Prix is expected to be next in line to challenge reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion “Unstoppable” Angela Lee of Singapore, who is expecting her first child with husband Bruno Pucci in mid-2021.
The atomweight top-ranked are all expected to enter the eight-woman tournament, including athletes such as the Philippines’ Denice Zamboanga, China’s Meng Bo, Japan’s Mei Yamaguchi, and Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex.
Athletes sitting outside of the top five who are also highly-favored to participate include Gina Iniong, Ritu Phogat, Jomary Torres, and Lumban Gaol herself.
Phogat and Torres will lock horns next Friday night, 4 December at ONE: BIG BANG, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. Lumban Gaol believes there’s a lot riding on this matchup, with both Phogat and Torres looking to solidify their position in the bracketing.
“This match will be quite interesting, considering both of them have good ground skills,” Lumban Gaol said.
“I think Ritu is good, considering that during the pandemic she has had more fights, and the easy wins have increased her confidence. Although, they are both quite good. It’s going to be an exciting match because both of them have good skills,” Lumban Gaol said.
Though Lumban Goal defeated Torres in 2018, and has had firsthand experience in facing the fiery Filipino athlete, the Indonesian powerhouse believes Phogat’s ground skills will be too much to overcome. Lumban Gaol isn’t shy about picking a winner, and feels the rising Indian star has just enough to overcome her next challenge.
“Ritu has improved her striking a lot, and Jomary has good skills on the ground to handle Ritu’s wrestling. I still think it is likely that Ritu will be the winner in this match based on her superior wrestling, but it should be a fun and entertaining fight,” Lumban Gaol said.
ONE: BIG BANG is the first of ONE Championship’s live event offerings in the month of December. The main event features a showdown between ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia of the Ukraine and challenger Murat “The Butcher” Aygun of the Netherlands.
Watch ONE: BIG BANG next Friday, 4 December on Vidio.com, Kaskus TV, or MAXstream at 7:30 p.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB). Also, SCTV will air the event on a same-day delay at 11:30 p.m. WIB.
