ONE Championship: Arjan Bhullar backs Ritu Phogat to win atomweight grand prix – and become ‘queen of Indian MMA’
- Heavyweight champ sees ‘The Indian Tigress’ beating Itsuki Hirata in semi-finals
- Bhullar thinks Phogat proves she has ‘the intangibles you can’t learn’ in gritty win over Meng Bo
Arjan Bhullar has backed Ritu Phogat to join him at the top and become “the queen of Indian MMA” by winning the ONE Championship atomweight grand prix.
“The Indian Tigress” (6-1) pulled off a stunning upset victory against Meng Bo (17-6) in the quarter-finals of the tournament last month, riding out a torrid first round to get the unanimous decision.
That earned her a semi-final against Japan’s Itsuki Hirata (5-0), and ONE heavyweight champion Bhullar sees victory for his compatriot at October 29’s NextGen card in Singapore.
“Absolutely it’s a tough match-up,” Bhullar told the Post. “I think she’s gonna have to lean on her wrestling chops as always. She’s gotta keep her hands up when she throws – sometimes she tends to drop a little bit.
“So throw, keep it tight, then go get to your wrestling. Ride, ride, ride, damage control. The longer the fight stays in that realm, the more success she’ll have the deeper it goes.”