![\"Ritu](\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Ritu-Phogat.jpg\")
Indian wrestling superstar Ritu Phogat is set to make her professional mixed martial arts debut when she takes on Korea\u2019s Nam Hee Kim in an atomweight contest. The pair faced-off today at an open workout and are scheduled to meet in the ONE Championship ring at ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS, which takes place 16 November, at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China.<\/p>\n
Ahead of Phogat\u2019s first foray into the mixed martial arts arena, the 25-year-old details how she envisions her path unfolding in a new sport, her ultimate goal, and how she plans to accomplish the mission she has set for herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo question, I want to become a mixed martial arts World Champion, and everything I\u2019m doing now is preparing me for that,\u201d said Phogat. \u201cI made the decision to jump into this with my full heart and will. My goal is to become the first Indian woman to win a mixed martial arts World Championship. I believe I\u2019m in a great position to represent my country and I want to inspire as many women as I can. It\u2019s an honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phogat is already an accomplished athlete, having garnered multiple accolades throughout her competition career. She is a Commonwealth Wrestling Championships Gold Medalist, World U23 Wrestling World Championships Silver Medalist, Asian Wrestling Championships Bronze Medalist, and multiple-time Indian National Wrestling Champion. Hailing from Haryana, Phogat is widely-regarded as one of India\u2019s top sports superstars and one of the most talented wrestlers in the world. Her sisters Geeta, Babita Kumari, and Sangeeta as well as cousin Vinesh are also wrestling champions. The Phogat family was the subject of the 2016 blockbuster film, Dangal, which told the story of Indian wrestling pioneer Mahavir Singh Phogat based loosely on real-life events.<\/p>\n
Already a recognizable face in her home country, Phogat now enters the international arena. She looks to make her presence known. \u201cOne of my goals is to bring honor to Indian martial arts. I think it\u2019s really important that we celebrate my country\u2019s culture and history and I really hope I can represent that well on the global stage,\u201d said Phogat. \u201cI have big plans, but first, I have to take care of business against an opponent who wants to spoil the party. I\u2019ve prepared well for this, but this is my first time, and we\u2019ll have to see where I\u2019m at after this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two of the coaches who have worked closely with Phogat, former WBA Boxing World Champion Drian Francisco and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Teco Shinzato, can attest to the 25-year old\u2019s progress as a fighter. \u201cRitu has come a long way. When she first moved to Singapore, she didn\u2019t have any knowledge about striking,\u201d said Francisco, who leads the boxing program at Evolve. \u201cNow that she\u2019s training full time under all the World Champions at Evolve MMA, she\u2019s learned how to strike, punch, kick, and grapple. She is strong, delivers hard punches, and wants to learn. She really works hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shinzato, who is also the coach of Singapore\u2019s national Jiu-Jitsu team, says Phogat is ready for the unique ground encounters she could face in the cage. \u201cShe has made significant improvement in her ground game. There is still a lot of room for improvement, but compared to when she first joined us, she can better understand the concepts and techniques I teach,\u201d Shinzato said of Phogat\u2019s progress. \u201cShe\u2019s really good at takedowns because she\u2019s a wrestler. I try to work with it and capitalize on that to make her more of a well-rounded athlete. She\u2019s making good progress to becoming a good fighter.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ritu Phogat makes her professional mixed martial arts debut at ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS on 16th November,2019. How she performs against her opponent, Nam Hee Kim, will be a great indicator as to how far she has yet to climb the mountain until she reaches the top. Reaching the pinnacle of the sport is something she is completely focused on. For Phogat, it\u2019s only a matter of time. \u201cI\u2019m in no rush. I\u2019m young, I\u2019m strong, and I\u2019m hungry,\u201d Phogat concluded. \u201cGive me a few fights, let me get a feel for this and I\u2019ll be contending for a World Title soon. I promise my fans I\u2019ll give them something to cheer about. I want to make my country proud.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Indian wrestling superstar Ritu Phogat is set to make her professional mixed martial arts debut when she takes on Korea\u2019s Nam Hee Kim in an atomweight contest. The pair faced-off today at an open workout and are scheduled to meet in the ONE Championship ring at ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS, which takes place 16 November, at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China.<\/p>\n
Ahead of Phogat\u2019s first foray into the mixed martial arts arena, the 25-year-old details how she envisions her path unfolding in a new sport, her ultimate goal, and how she plans to accomplish the mission she has set for herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo question, I want to become a mixed martial arts World Champion, and everything I\u2019m doing now is preparing me for that,\u201d said Phogat. \u201cI made the decision to jump into this with my full heart and will. My goal is to become the first Indian woman to win a mixed martial arts World Championship. I believe I\u2019m in a great position to represent my country and I want to inspire as many women as I can. It\u2019s an honor.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wrestling-wrestling"],"yoast_head":"\n