Ritu Phogat returns to MMA action at ONE: Battleground

Ritu Phogat (left) returns to MMA action at ONE: Battleground (Image Courtesy: ONE Championship)

Bengaluru, July 21: Indian wrestling sensation Ritu Phogat began 2021 on a high note, but after her last outing in the ONE Championship Circle, it was back to square one.

"The Indian Tigress" Phogat will have the chance to redeem herself on Friday, 30 July, at ONE: BATTLEGROUND, where she'll face Lin "MMA Sister" Heqin in an atomweight mixed martial arts matchup with heavy implications.

After her December 2020 TKO win over Jomary "The Zamboanginian Fighter" Torres, Phogat's name was entered into the historic ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix.

However, Phogat soon suffered the first loss of her career against Bi "Killer Bee" Nguyen at ONE: DANGAL this past May, and she was subsequently removed from the eight-woman bracket.

If she can score a dominant victory over Lin, Phogat might be able to rejoin the tournament, which will grant the winner a shot at ONE Women's Atomweight World Champion "Unstoppable" Angela Lee.

Lin won't make it an easy bout, however. She has almost four times more professional experience than Phogat, holding a record of 14-2-1. Moreover, she dominated her ONE debut by scoring a first-round triangle choke of Torres.

Now, the Chinese athlete will try to continue her winning ways while also aiming to prove that perhaps she should be added to the Grand Prix bracket.

Headlining ONE: BATTLEGROUND is a ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title fight between two-sport Strawweight World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and newly signed phenom Prajanchai PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym.

In the co-main event, former two-division ONE World Champion Aung La "The Burmese Python" N Sang will face Leandro Ataides in a middleweight mixed martial arts bout, and the winner could get a crack at current ONE Middleweight World Champion Reinier "The Dutch Knight" de Ridder.

Full Card For ONE: Battleground

• ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title bout: Sam-A vs. Prajanchai

• Mixed martial arts - Middleweight bout: Aung La N Sang vs. Leandro Ataides

• Kickboxing - Featherweight bout: Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong vs. Tayfun Ozcan

• Mixed martial arts - Atomweight bout: Ritu Phogat vs. Lin Heqin

• Mixed martial arts - Bantamweight bout: Chen Rui vs. Jeremy Pacatiw

• Mixed martial arts - Atomweight bout: Victoria Lee vs. Wang Luping

Source: Press Release