“A battle of wrestling versus judo” - Ritu Phogat teases interesting clash of styles against Japanese star Ayaka Miura

Ritu Phogat believes her clash with Ayaka Miura will be an interesting clash of styles.

After more than two years removed from her last outing inside the Circle, 'The Indian Tigress' returns to pick up right where she left off. Hoping to spoil her highly anticipated comeback is streaking Japanese sensation Ayaka 'Zombie' Miura who goes into the bout backed by an impressive three-fight win streak.

Speaking with ONE Championship ahead of her clash with Miura at ONE 171: Qatar on Thursday, February 20, Phogat suggested her clash with 'Zombie' will ultimately come down to a battle of wrestling versus judo.

"This is a battle of wrestling versus judo, let’s see whether wrestling wins or judo does," Phogat said.

The last time we saw Phogat in action, she suffered back-to-back submission losses against undisputed atomweight MMA queen Stamp Fairtex and Tiffany Teo.

Ayaka Miura carries with her an 86% finish rate with six of her seven wins inside the Circle coming by way of submission.

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Ritu Phogat not feeling any pressure ahead of return at ONE 171: Qatar

Since we last saw Ritu Phogat, a lot has changed for the ONE Atomweight MMA World Grand Prix finalist. In June 2024, she welcomed her first child, a son, alongside her husband Sachin Chhikara.

But despite the long layoff and competing for the first time since giving birth, 'The Indian Tigress' is not feeling any pressure after allowing her body ample time to rest and recover.

"I’m not under any pressure at all because the two-year gap gave my body time to recover," Phogat added. "I’ve been training continuously since I was eight years old, without taking any breaks. These two years have been good for my body’s recovery."

Overall, Phogat is 7-3 in her mixed martial arts career with three of her wins coming by way of KO/TKO. She also took home gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. The following year, she won silver in the 48 kg category in World U-23 Wrestling Championships.

ONE 171: Qatar will emanate from the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar on Thursday, Feb. 20. Head over to watch.onefc.com to learn more about how you can watch the event live.