Singapore: Ritu Phogat on Friday recorded her second win in her MMA career by beating debutant Wu Chiao Chen of China at the One: King of the Jungle event. The One Championship event was held behind closed doors at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and Ritu dominated the bout, eventually ending up with a unanimous decision.
“Winning my second match at ONE Championship has been a very good feeling and my confidence level has been boosted further. I would like to thank my coaches and my Indian supporters watching. My goal of becoming India’s first MMA world champion is still a long way away but I will keep working with a lot of dedication to reach that,” said Ritu after her win.
“I am thrilled to be representing India in MMA now. This is a growing sport and I foresee that it will be huge in India real soon.”
Chen, who has an 8-0 record as an amateur in MMA and has been a former JJIF Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship gold medallist, was no match for the determined Indian in a heavily one-sided women’s atomweight contest.
Ritu controlled each of the three rounds by using her power and strength to force early takedowns of her opponent and kept her pinned to the ground. Wu tried hard to challenge the Indian in the second round but Phogat proved too strong in the grappling exchanges and did not give her opponent any chance to defend. The final round saw the Indian at her aggressive best as she kept landing deadly blows on Wu to be unanimously declared the winner by all the three judges present.
Ritu’s victory follows a sizzling debut last year where she finished Nam Hee Kim in the first round by technical knockout.
