Mumbai: Indian wrestling superstar Ritu Phogat is set to make her professional Mixed Martial Arts debut when she takes on Korea’s Nam Hee Kim in an atom weight contest. The pair faced-off today at an open workout and are scheduled to meet in the ONE Championship ring at ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS, which takes place 16 November, at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China.
Speaking on the development, Ritu Phogat said, “I am looking forward to my debut in One Championship. I am training hard to compete with the best and win for my country. This is the first big step for me in this really interesting and exciting sport and I hope to make my country proud.”
Jitesh Mehta, Co-Founder, Birbal Sports and Entertainment, the company which exclusively manages Ritu said, “ We are proud to have our athletes make her debut in the world’s biggest MMA Championship (One Championship). We look forward to achieving great things together on this journey “.
Ritu is already an accomplished athlete, having garnered multiple accolades throughout her competition career. She is a Commonwealth Wrestling Championships Gold Medalist, World U23 Wrestling World Championships Silver Medalist, Asian Wrestling Championships Bronze Medalist, and multiple-time Indian National Wrestling Champion. Hailing from Haryana, Phogat is widely regarded as one of India’s top sports superstars and one of the most talented wrestlers in the world. Her sisters Geeta, Babita Kumari, and Sangeeta, as well as cousin Vinesh, are also wrestling champions.
About Birbal: BIRBAL IS A SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CONSULTANCY FIRM-BASED IN MUMBAI. APART FROM RITU THEY ALSO WORK WITH SOME OF THE TOP SPORTSTARS OF INDIA INCLUDING WORLD #1 WRESTLERS BAJRANG PUNIA & DEEPAK PUNIA, SUPERSTAR KABBADI PLAYER RAHUL CHAUDHARI, YOUNG GRAPPLING SENSATION RAVI KUMAR, INDIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM STARLETS RAYNIER FERNANDES & ADITI CHAUHAN AND MANY MORE.
ONE: AGE OF DRAGONS WILL BE AIRED ON STAR SPORTS SELECT 2 AND ON HOTSTAR ON SATURDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2019 STARTING AT 2:30 PM IST. THE MAIN CARD, FEATURING RITU PHOGAT’S ONE DEBUT, WILL BEGIN AT 4:00 PM IST