Arjan Bhullar believes Ritu Phogat can go all the way to win ONE Atomweight World GP

“Singh”
Bhullar
thinks
that
“The
Indian
Tigress”
Phogat’s
resilience
is
what
separates
her
from
her
semifinal
matchup
against
Itsuki
“Android
18”
Hirata
at
ONE:
NEXTGEN
on
Friday
(October
29).

“[Phogat’s]
toughness
and
ability
to
win
tournaments
and
work
through
a
bracket,
and
her
ability
to
make
the
adjustments
necessary
from
blending
her
takedowns
into
her
striking
–
which
she
wasn’t
doing
before
–
is
what
makes
her
special,”
the
35-year-old
said.

The
Indo-Canadian’s
analysis
is
absolutely
spot
on.
“Singh,”
who
has
been
signed
with
ONE
Championship
since
his
compatriot
made
her
professional
mixed
martial
arts
debut
on
the
global
stage,
has
followed
her
career
trajectory.

ONE:
NEXTGEN
–
Full
Card,
date,
telecast
information
as
Ritu
Phogat
battles
Itsuki
Hirata

He
has
witnessed
the
evolution
of
her
arsenal
ever
since
her
knockout
win
over
“Captain
Marvel”
Nam
Hee
Kim
at
ONE:
AGE
OF
DRAGONS
in
November
2019.

Phogat
went
on
to
seal
another
three
consecutive
victories
against
highly
skilled
opponents
before
taking
on
Vietnamese-American
Bi
“Killer
Bee”
Nguyen
at
ONE:
DANGAL
in
May
of
this
year.

“The
Indian
Tigress”
lost
via
split
decision
to
Nguyen,
a
decision
Bhullar
does
not
entirely
agree
with.
But
in
his
opinion,
that
should
not
take
anything
away
from
the
quality
Phogat
brings
to
the
Circle.

After
all,
defeats
are
part
of
the
game.
Only
two
months
after
that
unfortunate
loss,
Phogat
bounced
back
with
a
strong
display
against
China’s
“MMA
Sister”
Lin
Heqin.

The
victory
ended
her
foe’s
11-bout
win
streak
and
allowed
Phogat
to
rejoin
the
ONE
Women’s
Atomweight
World
Grand
Prix.

Then,
Phogat
came
from
behind
to
score
a
unanimous
decision
win
over
Meng
Bo
in
the
Grand
Prix
quarterfinals,
subsequently
earning
her
a
match
against
Hirata
at
ONE:
NEXTGEN.

I
am
ready
for
any
challenge
in
the
semifinals:
Ritu
Phogat

Bhullar
admits
it
could
be
a
tricky
tie
for
Phogat
against
the
judoka
specialist
but
is
certain
that
his
colleague
who
trains
at
Evolve
MMA
is
well
prepared
to
book
a
spot
in
the
final.

“Ritu
versus
Itsuki
–
a
very
tough
fight.
Itsuki
knows
what
Ritu
is
going
to
be
bringing
to
the
table,
looking
to
defend
takedowns,
and
popping
right
back
up
if
she
ends
up
there,”
he
said.

“I
think
[Phogat’s]
going
to
rise
to
the
occasion.
Make
the
adjustments
needed
within
her
camp
to
win
the
tournament
and
this
fight.”

Catch
Phogat’s
ONE
Atomweight
World
Grand
Prix
semifinal
clash
on
ONE:
NEXTGEN
live
on

Disney+
Hotstar
or

Star
Sports
Select
2
at
6
PM
India
Standard
Time
(IST)
on
Friday
(October
29).

Source:
Media
Release