Ritu Phogat is well known to have the best wrestling pedigree among women mixed martial arts fighters at the ONE Championship, but on Friday the Indian showed a warrior's resolve as she fought back from a near stoppage to beat former title contender China's Meng Bo by unanimous decision in the Atomweight Grand Prix at ONE: Empower. Phogat, who switched a successful career as a freestyle wrestler for a chance to become an MMA star, is now just two wins away from the title fight she has been chasing for two years.
Phogat has now improved to a 6-1 record following her win over Bo, ranked the No. 2 contender in her division, who slipped to a 17-6 record. But the turnaround victory gives her confidence for even more. "When we beat a good fighter, we get confidence. Meng Bo is a really good fighter. She is the number 2 contender. I learned a lot and got a lot more experience. I'm ready for whoever I have to face in the next round. I'm ready for the next challenge. I want to prove that I am the best. She has more experience than me. But I have proved I am among the best," Phogat said.
Phogat was up against the biggest test of her MMA career as she faced up against the far more experienced Meng Bo, who was on a seven-fight win streak and was one of the favourites in the 8-woman Grand Prix, the winner of which will face reigning champion Angela Lee for the Atomweight title. Indeed, the 27-year-old Indian was the least experienced fighter in the Grand Prix.
Phogat, a two-time junior world silver medallist in wrestling, had a reach disadvantage against Bo, who had stopped five of her previous six opponents and who prior to the fight had said she would look to knock out the Indian. Phogat risked taking a punch every time she shot for a takedown, which has always been her key to victory. Bo landed what appeared to be the decisive blow, staggering Phogat with a straight right with about a minute and 15 seconds left in the first five-minute round.
Phogat would later say that while she was rocked, the punch helped to focus her. "Whenever I get hit, it makes me even more aggressive. I then look to hit her back," she would say after the win.
The comeback is REAL for "The Indian Tigress!" 💪 @PhogatRitu #ONEEmpower #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/8R5UWemIq0
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 3, 2021
But as her knees buckled, it was Bo who appeared on the edge of victory. As Phogat grabbed desperately for a single leg takedown though, Bo chose not to finish the bout with strikes but instead calmly locked Phogat's left arm in an armbar. The submission appeared fixed and Ritu's tap appeared imminent as her joint twisted painfully. However, Phogat didn't tap and eventually fought out of the submission attempt. "Even after I was caught in the armbar, I never felt the bout was over. I felt this was a position I could get out from. I wasn't worried," she said later.
She appeared to find a second wind after that, taking down Bo for the first time in the contest and landing ground punches in the closing ten seconds.
Phogat came out energised in the second round. What followed was a dramatic turnaround with the Indian taking Bo down early. She secured control and spent much of the round on Bo's chest, landing knees to her opponent's head. That was exactly how her coach Siyar Bahadurzada had wanted her to fight. "After the first round, my coach told me to believe in myself. He told me to focus on my strength which isn't striking but wrestling. So I went back to my wrestling," she says.
With all to fight for in the third round, Phogat once again appeared staggered as she took a knee to the head as she shot for a takedown but she shrugged off the effects of the blow and once again secured side control over Bo. "It didn't bother me that I had got hit by the knee. My goal was very clear, I had to just finish my attack. I didn't have anything in my mind. Coach was just saying just focus on your plan. And that's what I did," Phogat said.
As her Chinese opponent appeared exhausted, Phogat appeared content to dig in elbow strikes to her abdomen while taking no damage of her own.
Phogat's efforts in the final two rounds were enough as the judges gave her a unanimous decision win. The result is a huge boost for Phogat who was re-included in the eight-woman Atomweight Grand Prix just a few weeks back.
Phogat had originally been named in the GP in February this year but was bumped off the card following a surprise loss to American Bi Nguyen in March. But following an upset win vs China's Li Heqin (14-3) last month, ONE Championship announced that Phogat has been added once again to the Grand Prix. After her second straight win over another top Chinese fighter, that decision appears to have been a good one.
It remains to be seen who Phogat faces in the semifinals as the bouts will be decided not by ONE Championships but via a fan vote. When the other winners in the GP were asked who they would want to face - none of them picked the Indian. Phogat, who is the dark horse in the competition, meanwhile said she was ready to face anyone. "I have to make a lot of improvements. I have to improve on my striking, my judo and even my wrestling. For me every match I could face could be challenging. But I have just beaten Meng Bo. It's almost beating a champion. I want to face the best," she says.