Despite change of opponent, Ritu Phogat still confident of advancing into Atomweight GP Final

Phogat
was
supposed
to
face
Japanese
judoka
Itsuki
Hirata
at
ONE:
NEXTGEN
this
Friday
(October
29),
but
the
latter
pulled
out
of
the
tournament
due
to
an
undisclosed
medical
condition.

Despite
the
last-minute
change,
the
Commonwealth
Wrestling
Gold
Medalist
believes
she
still
holds
the
upper
hand
in
the
contest.

Ritu
Phogat
gets
new
opponent
in
ONE
Women’s
Atomweight
Grand
Prix
semifinals

“I
was
really
hoping
to
fight
Hirata
because
that’s
something
that
the
public
demanded,”
Phogat
said.
“Although
it
comes
at
the
eleventh
hour,
I’m
confident
about
my
skills
and
my
training.
I
know
I
can
take
on
anyone.
It’s
not
something
that
shakes
me
up.”

While
some
athletes
might
have
viewed
the
sudden
change
of
opponent
as
a
setback,
Phogat
does
not
think
the
same
way.
Besides,
Phogat
has
enjoyed
a
full
training
camp
in
preparation
for
her
semifinal
appearance,
and
that
could
be
another
advantage
in
favour
of
the
Indian
megastar.

That
does
not
mean
Ritu
will
take
her
opponent
lightly.
The
number-four-ranked
atomweight
contender
knows
just
how
good
her
foe
is,
and
she
is
prepared
to
face
the
best
version
of
Olsim
at
the
Singapore
Indoor
Stadium
this
Friday.

However,
Phogat
admits
there
are
some
holes
in
her
rival’s
arsenal,
and
she
promises
to
take
advantage
of
it
when
the
time
is
right.

“I
wouldn’t
want
to
underestimate
my
opponent.
I’ve
seen
certain
gaps,
but
I
don’t
want
to
disrespect
Jenelyn
by
calling
it
out
publicly,”
the
27-year-old
martial
artist
said.

“I’m
ready
to
fight
Olsim,
but
I
don’t
want
to
speak
about
her
weaknesses
because
I
know
she
deserves
her
spot
in
the
GP.”

Phogat
may
have
declined
to
comment
on
her
opponent’s
weaknesses,
but
she
certainly
knows
what
Olsim
is
capable
of
in
the
striking
department.
That
was
clear
in
Olsim’s
last
outing
when
she
defeated
Bi
“Killer
Bee”
Nguyen
at
ONE:
BATTLEGROUND
III
in
August
this
year.

Whether
or
not
Olsim
comes
out
with
a
similar
game
plan
remains
to
be
seen.
The
only
thing
that
matters
to
Phogat
now
is
a
highlight-reel
victory,
which
will
book
her
ticket
into
the
final
of
the
inaugural
women’s
Grand
Prix.

“I
want
to
make
it
a
clear
win
for
myself
and
not
leave
it
to
the
hands
of
the
judges.
All
I’m
focused
on
right
now
is
to
wrap
up
this
match
as
soon
as
I
can.”

Here
is
a
look
at
the
updated
ONE:
NEXTGEN
Card:

•
Atomweight
World
GP
Semifinal:
Stamp
Fairtex
vs.
Julie
Mezabarba

•
Atomweight
World
GP
Semifinal:
Ritu
Phogat
vs.
Itsuki
Hirata

•
Heavyweight
Kickboxing:
Anderson
Silva
vs.
Iraj
Azizpour

•
Heavyweight
–
Mixed
Martial
Arts:
Kirill
Grishenko
vs.
Dustin
Joynson

•
Strawweight
–
Mixed
Martial
Arts:
Miao
Li
Tao
vs.
Jeremy
Miado

•
Light
Heavyweight
–
Kickboxing:
Beybulat
Isaev
vs.
Bogdan
Stoica

Catch
all
the
action
from

ONE:
NEXTGEN
this
Friday

(October
29),
live
on

Disney+
Hotstar
or

Star
Sports
Select
2
at
6
pm
(IST).

Don’t
forget
to
download
the
ONE
Super
App
for
the
latest
news
on
your
favourite
martial
artists.

Source:
Media
Release