Ritu Kumari Phogat (born 2 May 1994) is an Indian mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship. She is also a female wrestler who won a gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship.
Early and personal life
Ritu is the third daughter of former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat and started training under her father at the age of eight.
Her sisters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari as well as cousin Vinesh Phogat are all Commonwealth Games gold medalists in wrestling. Another cousin of her, Priyanka Phogat, is also an international level wrestler.
Wrestling career
In October 2016, Phogat won her second consecutive title at the annual National Wrestling Championships. In November 2016, she won the gold medal at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in Singapore in the 48 kg category.
In December 2016, she became the most expensive female wrestler at the Pro Wrestling League auction, bagging a ₹36 lakh INR contract with the Jaipur Ninjas franchise.
In November 2017, she won silver in the 48kg category in World U-23 Wrestling Championships being held in Bydgoscz, Poland. This is India’s first silver in the championship.
Mixed martial arts career
ONE Championship
In February 2019, Phogat signed with ONE Championship with the intention of making her mixed martial arts debut.
Phogat made her mixed martial arts debut against Nam Hee Kim at ONE Championship: Age Of Dragons in November 2019. She said, “In MMA my goal is to become the first Indian World champion.”
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- ONE Championship
- 2021 ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Runner-Up
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | hide | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 matches | 7 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 2 |
| By decision | 4 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 7–3 | Tiffany Teo | Submission (rear-naked choke) | ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai | September 29, 2022 | 1 | 4:52 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Loss | 7–2 | Stamp Fairtex | Submission (armbar) | ONE Championship: Winter Warriors | December 3, 2021 | 2 | 2:14 | Kallang, Singapore | ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Final. |
| Win | 7–1 | Jenelyn Olsim | Decision (unanimous) | ONE Championship: NextGen | October 29, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Semi-Final. |
| Win | 6–1 | Meng Bo | Decision (unanimous) | ONE Championship: Empower | September 3, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Quarter-Final. |
| Win | 5–1 | Lin Heqin | Decision (unanimous) | ONE Championship: Battleground | July 30, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Loss | 4–1 | Bi Nguyen | Decision (split) | ONE Championship: Dangal | May 15, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 4–0 | Jomary Torres | TKO (elbows) | ONE Championship: Big Bang | December 4, 2020 | 1 | 3:55 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 3–0 | Nou Srey Pov | TKO (punches) | ONE Championship: Inside the Matrix | October 30, 2020 | 2 | 2:02 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 2–0 | Wu Chiao Chen | Decision (unanimous) | ONE Championship: King of the Jungle | February 28, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 1–0 | Nam Hee Kim | TKO (punches) | ONE Championship: Age Of Dragons | November 16, 2019 | 1 | 3:37 | Beijing, China |