Ritu Phogat back in ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix

After losing to Bi "Killer Bee" Nguyen at ONE: DANGAL in May, "The Indian Tigress" Phogat lost her place in the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix quarterfinals. But the Indian rebounded with a win over "MMA Sister" Lin Heqin at ONE: BATTLEGROUND in July to re-earn a spot in the historic mixed martial arts tournament.

Now that she's back in the bracket, Phogat will take on Meng Bo in the Grand Prix quarterfinals on 3 September at ONE: EMPOWER - ONE Championship's first all-female martial arts card.

Meng is ranked #2 in the atomweight MMA division, and with a record of 16-5 that includes 10 finishes, she will no doubt be Phogat's toughest test since the latter joined ONE Championship in 2019.

In addition to that matchup, six other atomweights will participate in the Grand Prix quarterfinals on the ONE: EMPOWER main card:

• Denice Zamboanga vs. Seo Hee Ham

• Alyona Rassohyna vs. Stamp Fairtex

• Itsuki Hirata vs. Alyse Anderson

Meanwhile, ONE: EMPOWER is headlined by a World Title clash between ONE Women's Strawweight World Champion "The Panda" Xiong Jing Nan and challenger Michelle Nicolini.

Starting off the main card is a ONE Super Series kickboxing battle between debutants Anissa Meksen and Cristina Morales - two of the best atomweight kickboxers in the world.

And before the stacked main card goes down, six more women will grace the lead card of ONE: EMPOWER:

• Jackie Buntan vs. Daniela Lopez (Muay Thai - strawweight)

• Mei Yamaguchi vs. Julie Mezabarba (Atomweight World Grand Prix Alternate)

• Grace Cleveland vs. Bi Nguyen/Jenelyn Olsim (Atomweight World Grand Prix Alternate)

Buntan made waves by scorching Wondergirl Fairtex in her debut earlier this year and then following it up with a victory over Ekaterina "Barbie" Vandaryeva. Now, she's looking for another win in the Circle against the debuting Lopez.

Yamaguchi, Mezabarba, Cleveland, and Nguyen/Olsim (who will face each other at ONE: BATTLEGROUND III first) will battle in alternate bouts for the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, one can catch all the action from ONE: BATTLEGROUND III, which airs on Disney+ Hotstar, and Star Sports Select 1 at 6 PM IST on Friday, 27 August.

Source: Media Release