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Indian wrestler and MMA fighter Ritu Phogat, who took a break from octagon for two years is set to make her comeback. Phogat was out of action due to the birth of her baby boy in June 2024, and is now ready to make her return. The Indian wrestler and MMA artist will be up against Japan’s submission-specialist Ayaka Miura at ONE 171. ONE Championship announced the fight suggesting that the 30-year-old’s comeback fight will take place on February 20 in Qatar.
The fight will take place at the Lusail Sports Arena. Notably, Phogat competed in September 2022 against former ONE World Title challenger Tiffany Teo. While she was away from the active competition, Phogat got married in November 2022, and in 2024, welcomed a baby boy. Known as “The Indian Tigress", Phogat is ready to make her comeback. Phogat holds a solid record of 7-3 in the MMA and took down three of her top-class opponents. She made her ONE debut in November 2019, after taking down South Korea’s Nam Hee Kim in the first round. Later, she went on to create a four-fight win streak.
Rita Phogat became first Indian woman to reach final of MMA tournament
In 2021, Ritu Phogat became the first Indian woman fighter to make it to the final of a prestigious MMA tournament. There, she fought three-sport ONE World Champion Stamp Fairtex but ended up losing that match via submission. Announcing her comeback, Ritu said, "After focusing on my family and becoming a mother in the last two years, I am now ready to resume my mixed martial arts career in ONE Championship. It has been a long journey back to the Circle, but I am more than excited to compete against the greatest martial arts athletes in the world once again.”
She added, "I am proud to represent India on the global stage, and I cannot wait to walk down that ramp. I would like to thank all of my fans for their support. 'The Indian Tigress' is back and ready to pounce!"
