In her upcoming bout against experienced veteran Bi "Killer Bee" Nguyen, Indian wrestling superstar Ritu Phogat will be relying on the skills that got her to the world's largest martial arts organisation in the first place.
Ritu is scheduled to face Nguyen at ONE: DANGAL, a tape-delayed event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore that airs on May 15.
"The Indian Tigress" has not made her game plan heading into this fight a secret. The 26-year-old will be looking to take Nguyen down and finish her on the mat.
"I think that Bi's weakness is that her wrestling is not as strong and so my strength will be her weakness. Because of my wrestling history, I should be able to take Bi down effectively and I should be able to finish her off," said Ritu in an official statement.
Ritu made headlines in 2019 when she announced she would be transitioning to the Circle.
A national icon from a famous wrestling family in her native India, Ritu made her ONE Championship debut two years ago, and has since racked up an unblemished win-loss slate, defeating her first four opponents in impressive fashion.
Meanwhile, Nguyen has had a rough go as of late. Ritu is confident she can continue her winning streak, and deal her Vietnamese-American foe another heartbreaking setback.
"Bi is a great fighter because she is more experienced. I have studied all her previous matches and her standing game has been extremely strong," Ritu said.
"It will be a great watch for fans as it will allow them to find out if wrestling or striking gets the upper hand in this match," she added.
ONE: DANGAL features a host of Indian martial arts stars, and aims to showcase the very best that India has to offer.
In the main event, Indian wrestling champion Arjan "Singh" Bhullar challenges Filipino-American superstar Brandon "The Truth" Vera for the ONE Heavyweight World Title.
Other Indian athletes scheduled for action include Gurdarshan "Saint Lion" Mangat and Roshan Mainam.
Ritu feels that while Nguyen's experience does pose a threat, focusing on her own game plan and what she brings to the table will be enough to offset anything "Killer Bee" brings to the table. She vows to show fans just how much she has improved, and perhaps a new side to her game that fans have yet to discover.
( With inputs from ANI )
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