Ritu Phogat has been re-included in the 8-woman Atomweight Grand Prix to be held in September this year. Three bouts now stand between her and a title bout for the ONE Championship Atomweight crown.
Phogat (5-1) 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 to China's Li Heqin (14-3) last month, ONE Championship announced on Friday that Phogat has been added once again to the Grand Prix. She will take on China's Meng Bo on September 3 on the ONE Championship Empower fight card.
It does mean, though, that her much delayed visit home has been postponed once again. The last minute change of plans is something Phogat accepts is part of the deal she made when she decided to give up wrestling and make the switch to MMA in 2019. "These are sacrifices you have to make if you want to chase your goals. This women's atomweight title is the reason I became a MMA fighter," she says.
To do this, Phogat had to give up a discipline in which she was a U-23 world silver medalist (wrestling) and start out as a rookie in another (MMA). She also had to learn to live by herself, away from her family, in a foreign land for extended periods of time. While Phogat thought she could visit her family intermittently, the COVID-19 pandemic which has complicated travel between India and Singapore has made things more difficult. Facing the prospect of a lengthy quarantine each time she returns from India, Ritu has had to make the tough call of prioritizing her MMA career. It has taken a huge emotional toll on Phogat, who has always been closely attached to her family. The hardest blow was perhaps her decision to miss the wedding of her younger sister Sangeeta Phogat in November last year.
She had made that call in order to raise her profile in the ring and be named part of the 8-woman Grand Prix that would face the current atomweight title holder Angela Lee. That decision seemed to have been in vain after Ritu's loss to Nguyen, where the Indian had controlled action for two rounds before fading in the third. It was a blow to Ritu. "I had stayed in Singapore because I felt this was the best way to chase my dream of becoming a champion. Although I still think I didn't lose that bout, I felt as if I had to wait even longer for my chance at the title," she says.
It is to earn another chance at being included in the GP that she took a fight at short notice against China's Li Heqin. This despite the fact that Li had a 14-2 record and was considered one of the top contenders at atomweight. "I was ready for that bout. After my loss, I was out of the GP. I wanted to take a chance to prove I belonged at the GP. I was ready. The coach also said, that we deserve to be part of the GP. Even if the opponent was a good fighter, I was confident of my prospects," says Phogat.
Even though Phogat is back in the Grand Prix, she won't have it easy. Her first opponent, Meng, has an impressive 16-5 record and will go into the contest on the back of a 6-match win streak. Bo has a formidable striking game too which is expected to pose challenges to the Indian whose fighting style is still largely built around her grappling.
Phogat won't have it any other way. Nor will her father, Mahavir Phogat, who had encouraged her to chase her dream to begin with. "I know it will be hard. When I told my dad about the fact that I had been included in the Grand Prix, he told me the same thing. He always says 'zindagi sangharsh hai' (life is a struggle)," she says. But Phogat is keen to give her best shot. She now sees her home absence as a positive - a sign that she's doing well professionally. "My dad always reminds me why I have gone to Singapore. He says if you want something, you have to sacrifice something. He tells me to remember my goal - and that is to become a ONE champion," she says.