India's Ritu Phogat ready for her second MMA bout, to face China's Wu Chiao Chen

NEW DELHI: After kicking off her Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) campaign on a high, daughter of famous wrestling coach Mahavir Phogat, Ritu Phogat is set for her second MMA bout. The 25-year-old will be up against China’s Pro MMA fighter Wu Chiao Chen. The wrestler turned MMA fighter will face her Chinese opponent in the ONE Championship at the Singapore Indoor Stadium February 28.
Ritu won her debut MMA bout after beating Kim Nam-hee of South Korea at the One Championship's Age of Dragons event in Beijing in November 2019.Ritu, a Commonwealth Wrestling Championship gold medallist, had registered victory over Kim Nam-hee in just over 3 minutes.
“It was quite challenging to leave wrestling and join another sport but the win has increased my confidence. The ambience at ONE Championship has been amazing and I am overwhelmed by the love and support I have received so far from fans and from my teammates here in Singapore. I am looking forward to getting a win again,” Ritu said ahead of her second MMA bout.
The third of four daughters of former wrestler and coach Mahavir Phogat, Ritu had spoken to Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview after her debut MMA win.
“Wrestling is very important in MMA. Your wrestling skills always help you to take down your opponents in MMA and also gives you an advantage over your opponent in the ring. MMA also has other forms of mixed martial arts which we can use like muay thai, BJJ, boxing, etc. You can strike, punch, and kick your opponent at the same time. It all depends on what your strengths are and how you play the game which suits your strengths,” Ritu said.
Ritu’s ultimate dream is to become India’s first-ever MMA champion.
“The dream is to become India's first ever women's MMA champion. There is no one from our country at the global stage in MMA, and I totally believe that India has what it takes to produce a World Champion,” the 25-year-old had said.