Ritu Phogat Hoping To Regain Her Spot In ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix
Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat is adamant that she deserved a victory in her last ONE Championship outing.
At ONE: DANGAL, the Indian mixed martial artist scrapped for three hard rounds against Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyen. But after 15 minutes of action, the judges awarded “Killer Bee” the split decision win, which knocked Phogat out of the upcoming ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix.
“I gave my 110 percent in that match. The referee’s decision was quite shocking for me because I had dominated the match for two rounds,” Phogat said.
“I don’t have much knowledge about the points (scoring system). One thing that I know is that whoever dominates the fight, wins the fight. For two rounds, I did that and didn’t give her any chances to get up. I should have won that fight.”
For now, that narrow loss is motivating “The Indian Tigress” to make all-important changes for next time. She promises to rediscover the form that fans saw in her previous two matches, where she stopped Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres and Nou Srey Pov by ground-and-pound TKOs.
In the process, Phogat hopes to earn another spot in the historic atomweight tournament.
“If I get the next match as soon as possible and perform well or finish my opponent, I will let [ONE] know that I deserve to be a part of the Grand Prix,” she said.
As upset as she was about dropping the split decision to Nguyen, Phogat knows it’s all part of the game, and she is taking some valuable lessons from the experience.
“Every single athlete goes through this phase. I was shocked by the decision, but I have learned a few lessons. The match should not go to the judges’ decision and [I should] avoid mistakes,” she admitted.
Having said that, Phogat would love to run it back with “Killer Bee,” and should the rematch happen, “The Indian Tigress” is promising an entirely different approach.
“Next time, you’re going to face a very dangerous Ritu Phogat,” she said.
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