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Off to a flying start in her mixed martial arts career, Ritu Phogat, “the third Dangal sister”, wants to win laurels for India in the sport

- POOJA BIRAIA JAISWAL

Three minutes and 37 seconds. That is all it took for Ritu Phogat to ace her mixed martial arts (MMA) debut in Beijing on November 16. Her South Korean opponent, Nam Hee Kim, had no answer to the Indian’s powerful ground and pound offensive at the event conducted by One Championship, Asia’s largest sports media company. The promoters conduct fights in 11 martial arts, including MMA, kickboxing and muay Thai.

Ritu completed her first takedown in 22 seconds. After being pushed away by her bigger opponent, Ritu stayed calm and kept out of Kim’s reach, till she got the chance for a second takedown, around 40 seconds after the first. The South Korean defended desperately on the mat, well aware of her opponent’s wrestling credentials. But Ritu outsmarted her by stepping back and then charging in from the other side within four seconds, before Kim could even get off the mat. She then started landing punches and elbows on the pinned Kim’s face. After more than 30 seconds of unanswered offence, and with Kim locked in a crucifix position, the referee was forced to intervene and declare Ritu the winner via a technical knockout.

A few days before the bout, Ritu got a message from a fan on Instagram. It read, “Anyhow finish off Kim within the first 120 seconds itself. Else, she will kill you.” That was a big moment for her. “It was such powerful advice from a stranger,” said Ritu. “In the ring, all I could think was to punch her nose off. And that I did again and again.” The 25-year-old said her successful MMA debut was just what she “desperately needed” to prove to herself and those around her that her decision to give up wrestling in favour of MMA was not wrong. Until nine months ago, she was preparing for Tokyo 2020 with cousin Vinesh. Both of them are in the 48kg category.