December 3, 2021, will be one of the biggest days in Ritu Phogat and Stamp Fairtex’s career. Both women will come face-to-face in the finals of the Atomweight Grand Prix at ONE Championship: Winter Warriors.
Ritu Phogat, who is the number 4 ranked atomweight, is currently on a three-fight win streak. She will look to continue her great run of form, and book her place in the title fight against the champion, Angela Lee. Phogat hails from a famed wrestling family and is a former Commonwealth Wrestling gold medalist.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
She is an elite-level grappler and would look to use her superior ground game to win the fight. In a recently held press conference, she said that she was excited about the fight, and her preparations have been good.
When asked if Fairtex has any chance to win the fight against her on the ground, Ritu Phogat said, “In the atomweight division, my wrestling prowess has been unmatched. It’s been unparalleled. I feel that Stamp won’t be able to beat me.”
Many also question Phogat’s striking abilities, and if she will be able to hang with a former kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion. According to Phogat, she knows her opponent’s stand-up skills are amazing. But she has also been working on her striking.
ALSO READ – ONE Championship Closes Out 2021 With ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II on 17 December
However, Stamp Fairtex believes that if ‘The Indian Tigress‘ tries to strike with her, she’ll get knocked out. Nevertheless, she is well aware of the takedown threat Phogat possesses. Fairtex said, “I think that if she would try to stand and fight with me, she would get knocked out.”
She acknowledged the fact that Phogat showed a strong chin against Meng Bo, and she might have to take some risks. But will need to be careful of the takedowns.
Angela Lee shows respect to the challengers
During the press conference, the reigning, defending ONE women’s atomweight champion, Angela Lee, also showed up. ‘Unstoppable‘ won the title in 2016 and has already defended it four times. While at the press conference, a reporter asked her if she thought she was already in the heads of Phogat and Fairtex.
She said that there is mutual respect amongst all three of them, and there is no need for trash talk. “I really love Stamp and Ritu,” Lee said. “I think they both have such big hearts and they’re both very humble. I’ve been a fan of them for a while now so I just want to congratulate them both on being in the finals of this World Grand Prix tournament. I’m very eager to see how they face off on December 3rd.”
There was genuine respect between all three, as Stamp praised Lee and so did Phogat. Both fighters want to get inside the circle against the champion and prove their might. The fight on December 3rd will be a battle of styles, a striker vs. a grappler. According to Lee, it will come down to which fighter can bring the other into their world.
Lee also added, “I just want to wish you ladies the best of skill. I know that both of you have trained extremely hard. This tournament is finally coming to an end, having the title of being a Grand Prix world champion is truly special and I know both of you will fight extremely hard, I’m looking forward to meeting the winner next year.”
Fairtex is obviously a former world champion and has been on this stage before. However, Phogat will have a chance to make history. If she gets a win against Fairtex, she will become the first fighter, born and brought up in India to challenge for a title in MMA.
ALSO READ – ONE Champion Angela Lee Is ‘Super Fired Up’ to Return in 2022 After Welcoming a Newborn
Ritu Phogat is aware of that and wants to be a beacon of hope and inspire the younger generation. She said, “I want to open a new avenue for them to come out and practice MMA in full power.”
Who do you think wins the fight? Let us know in the comments below!
