ONE 171: Qatar - India's Ritu Phogat Targets Winning Comeback Against Japan's Ayaka Miura

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After a long hiatus of two years, four months, and 22 days, Ritu Phogat will step back into the Circle. The Indian wrestling sensation is set for her highly anticipated return against Japanese Judoka Ayaka Miura in an exhilarating atomweight MMA clash.

On Thursday, 20 February, Lusail Sports Arena will host ONE 171: Qatar. This exciting event features two thrilling World Title fights. After her last fight in 2022, Phogat got married and focused on starting a family.

Last year, she gave birth to a baby boy and is now ready to take the division by storm with her powerful ground game. Phogat is excited about her comeback. She believes the time off has positively impacted her body.

"I'm excited because for an athlete, staying away from training is quite difficult. So, I'm thrilled to be making my comeback. Finally, the time has come. The preparation for this match is just like the previous ones. I'm working hard, and the preparation is in full swing," Phogat said.

"I'm not under any pressure at all because the two-year gap gave my body time to recover. I've been training continuously since I was 8 years old, without taking any breaks. These two years have been good for my body's recovery."

"The Indian Tigress" shocked the country's sports world when she left wrestling to pursue MMA. In her first eight fights, she won seven convincingly. She even made it to the final of the ONE Atomweight MMA World Grand Prix Championship.

But she suffered heavy losses in her last two fights. Now, she is ready to relaunch her career against a dangerous opponent. Miura has submitted six opponents in ONE with her trademark "Ayaka Lock."

The 30-year-old Phogat is aware of her opponent's calibre. In fact, she states that it will be a classic wrestling versus judo contest. So she is fully focused on winning her comeback fight.

"Everyone has their weaknesses and strengths. I don't want to disrespect her by pointing out her weaknesses. She is a good fighter. This is a battle of wrestling vs. judo, let's see whether wrestling wins or judo does," Phogat said.

"If I had to make a prediction, I would say that I just want to win this match. I can already see myself winning. I need to win the match, whether it happens in the first round or any other round."