Mumbai: Former Indian wrestler and now a Mixed Martial Arts star, Ritu Phogat won her third consecutive MMA championship title in Singapore. 26-year-old Phogat defeated Cambodia's Nou Srey Pov with a technical knockout win in the second round. The match was part of ONE Championship’s ONE: INSIDE THE MATRIX event that featured four exciting World Championship contests, broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The Indian wrestling champion, also known as “The Indian Tigress”, put up an impressive victory over Cambodia’s Nou Srey Pov by winning by a technical knockout after the referee stopped the contest two minutes and two seconds into round two. Phogat dominated the first round, landing multiple takedowns while doing damage on the ground in a dominant position. Phogat landed a pair of solid right hands before taking Nou down to the ground again in the second round, where she finished in top position with strikes.
Commenting on her stellar performance, Ritu Phogat said, "It feels ecstatic to have a hat-trick in my MMA career with this win. Moreover, the hardships and challenges that I faced during to the pandemic have indeed paid off. I feel euphoric to be taking India to a new height in the MMA space and I cannot be more proud. I am grateful to my family, friends and fans back home who have rooted for me unwaveringly and have been extremely optimistic about my performance today. Lastly, I would also want to thank my coach who has played a significant role in my journey and whose strategies I have sworn by to defeat Cambodian champion Nou Srey Pov. I now look forward to the Grand Prix where I aim to own the world championship title."
Talking about her performance, Cambodia’s Nou Srey Pov said, "I regret that I could not complete three rounds as per my plan. Ritu is too tough and much faster than me. I feel sorry for my Cambodian fans that I couldn't deliver a victory for them. However, I promise that I'll come back stronger than before."
