“It’s Just the Beginning for Her” – Angela Lee Believes Ritu Phogat Still Destined for Success

Published 12/20/2021, 2:14 PM EST

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“Unstoppable” Angela Lee is confident that Indian MMA star Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat will bounce back from her recent defeat and start proving why she is one of the most talented fighters in the world. 

The ONE Atomweight World Champion watched the Singapore-based athlete defeat the division’s top atomweight stars to earn a spot against Stamp Fairtex in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final. 

Although the Thai specialist submitted Phogat, Lee views her accomplishments as a huge steppingstone. 

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“This is not the end of the road. It’s just the beginning for her,” the 25-year-old Singaporean-American athlete said. 

“It was a great opportunity, and to be in the finals of the [ONE Women’s Atomweight World] Grand Prix Championship, that’s impressive on its own.” 

Besides, Phogat has already amassed a nine-fight resume in slightly over two years. Out of those fights, “The Indian Tigress” has won seven, three via knockout. 

Lee believes the 27-year-old wrestling specialist should hold her head high and train harder to improve her overall game.

“She should be proud of herself and how far she made it. I think that after this match, she’s just got to go back to the gym, keep training, and keep working on evolving her game,” the Hawaii-based athlete said. 

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Angela Lee aims to make a statement in her title defense against Stamp Fairtex

Just as she hopes for Phogat to come back stronger, Lee herself is determined to make a lasting impression when she makes her return to the Circle against Stamp. The latter earned her shot at the world title following her impressive win over “The Indian Tigress” in the Grand Prix final. 

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“Unstoppable” has not competed since Phogat made her promotional debut against “Captain Marvel” Nam Hee Kim at ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS in November 2019. Last April, the world champion took some time off to focus on her family and gave birth to her firstborn, Ava Marie. 

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“I’m going to be looking to retain my title for the fifth time – and doing it in a very successful way. Everyone’s looking to see how I’m going to be, how I’m going to look in the fight because of the time off,” she said. 

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“People are saying that pregnancy has changed me, and being a mom has made me a weaker fighter, but I’m looking to prove them wrong.” 

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Written by:

Arman Khan

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Arman Khan is a UFC author for EssentiallySports. He began following combat sports when Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor competed in 'The Money Fight' in 2017. 'The Notorious' attracted Arman to the UFC, and he became an ardent fan of professional fighting as he could draw parallels with the action from his combat sports experience and break down techniques such as striking and striking defense lucidly for the casual fans.
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