Ritu Phogat will meet Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix final.
File image of Ritu Phogat. Image: Twitter/@PhogatRitu
Ritu Phogat is now within touching distance of a chance of becoming the first Indian fighter to fight for a major MMA title. The Indian fighter, on Friday, overcame a spirited effort from Grand Prix alternate Jenelyn Olsim to win by unanimous decision in the semi-final round of the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix.
Olsim initially used her striking to keep Phogat at the range, but “The Indian Tigress” quickly turned to her world-class wrestling and gained control. Phogat began the second round with an emphatic slam and then took Olsim to the mat at will. The Filipina kept it interesting by attacking constantly with submission attempts off her back, but Phogat was relentless with her chain wrestling and earned the victory on the judges’ scorecards. With the win, Phogat advances to the tournament final.
Phogat said, “To all those who’ve underestimated me, it’s not easy bringing Ritu Phogat to her knees. I am here to always prove you wrong. I live to win and dare to dedicate my all. The tigress is set to unleash the glory of her passion at the Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final. I’ll make it a firecracker of a stint.”
Phogat now has a career record of 7-1 and will face Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex (8-1) on 3 December. The winner will get a shot at the title against reigning champion Angela Lee.
Fairtex defeated Julie Mezabarba by a unanimous decision in her semi-final round.
Fairtex controlled the distance early in the first round, forcing Mezabarba on the defensive with a plethora of kicks and hard feints. The Brazilian tried to close the gap in the second, even landing a takedown, but Fairtex executed a beautiful sweep and wound up in full mount. The Thai then battered Mezabarba with a series of sharp elbows from the top position. In the final round, Mezabarba charged forward with punching combinations, but Stamp wisely used the full length of the Circle to keep her opponent at bay.
Official Results for ONE: NEXTGEN
Mixed Martial Arts – Atomweight: Stamp Fairtex def. Julie Mezabarba via Unanimous Decision
Mixed Martial Arts – Atomweight: Ritu Phogat def. Jenelyn Olsim via Unanimous Decision
Kickboxing – Heavyweight: Iraj Azizpour def. Anderson Silva via Unanimous Decision
Mixed Martial Arts – Heavyweight: Kirill Grishenko def. Dustin Joynson via Unanimous Decision
Mixed Martial Arts – Strawweight: Jeremy Miado def. Miao Li Tao via TKO at 0:50 of Round 2
Kickboxing – Light Heavyweight: Beybulat Isaev def. Bogdan Stoica via Unanimous Decision