New Delhi: Twenty-eight months since she last stepped into the ring for her One Championship bout, Ritu Phogat is set to make a comeback with an atomweight showdown against Japan’s Ayaka Miura in Qatar’s Lusail on February 20. The Indian has a 7-3 win-loss record while Miura, nicknamed Zombie and holder of a third-degree black belt in judo, enjoys a 14-5 pro record.
Known for her ground and pound technique, Phogat’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) career took off in 2019 with a TKO win over Nam Hee Kim. She won her first four bouts before coming up short against Bi Nguyen in a split verdict.
Phogat then won her next three fights on the bounce before Stamp Fairtex’s deadly armbar left her with a chastening loss and an injured shoulder that kept her out of action for nine months. Up next was Tiffany Teo who handed her another loss by submission following which Phogat went on an extended break.
“My last two bouts were losses by submission which is not a great feeling. Those results told me a lot about the areas I need to work on in my game,” the 30-year-old said from Washington where she has been training under her long-time coach Siyar Bahadurzada. The duo trains six days a week with two, sometimes three, sessions crammed in a day. The thrust, Phogat says, is on her ground combat skills.
In her previous stint with One Championship, Phogat appeared a promising but one-dimensional fighter who relied heavily on her upper body strength and wrestling nous to effect a takedown and follow it with a flurry of punches.
There was, however, a clear lack of Plan B. Against slippery, multi-dimensional, and much-skilled opponents such as Teo and Fairtex — the likes who specialise in Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu among other martial arts — Phogat’s defence, both ground and standing, were found wanting.
“Ground game is my strength due to my wrestling background and I am sharpening those skills. I know I can be hard to stop if I effect a takedown,” she said.
A lot has changed for Phogat since that mauling at the hands of Teo in Singapore. For starters, she is now a young mother who hopes to inspire her son.
“I want him to grow up and think of me as a hero,” she said. “It is not easy to return to competitive sport, especially combat sport, after motherhood but I wish to break that glass ceiling. After all, my father and sisters have all tried to break stereotypes all their lives,” she added.
Returning to sport after a two-year hiatus was not easy. While reclaiming muscle memory took time, what helped Phogat was the fact that her physical strength had not dimmed alarmingly. After a two-week break from workouts post childbirth, Phogat hit the gym under an expert’s supervision and hit her peak within 3-4 months.
“My muscles had become completely loose after giving birth, so I had to work hard to get the strength back. It helped that I never stopped working out during my pregnancy. My weight was always under control and my diet was on point,” Phogat, who barely went 5kgs over her maintenance weight during pregnancy, said.
MMA, Phogat insists, was never off her mind even when she was on a break and she used her downtime to watch plenty of live and recorded bouts. She also watched her cousin Vinesh compete at the Paris Olympics and saw her miss a medal due to not making the weight.
“I took 10 days to recover from that shock. I think it broke the hearts of a million people,” she said, referring to Vinesh’s disqualification on the morning of the Olympic final.
“But we are strong girls who are trained to dust off the past and move on. Perhaps that’s why I could muster the will to return to sport after starting a family.”
“A lot of time, young mothers are expected to give up their careers and focus on their families. While family is important, I feel managing your career is as critical. I was waiting for the right time to make a comeback, and when the opportunity presented itself, I was all in.”
“I know my opponent is coming off three consecutive wins and has the reputation of being a very good striker, but all I have to say is that it will be a mistake to underestimate me,” Phogat concluded.
