"A great opponent for me" - Ritu Phogat looks to restart atomweight run against dangerous Ayaka Miura in Qatar

Former ranked ONE atomweight MMA contender Ritu Phogat cannot wait to resume her journey on the global stage of ONE Championship, though she knows a tough task awaits.

'The Indian Tigress' squares off against former ONE strawweight MMA world title contender and No. 3-ranked Ayaka Miura at ONE 171: Qatar, which emanates live from the Lusail Sports Arena on Thursday, Feb. 20.

After spending the last couple of years raising her first child and focusing on motherhood, Phogat hops back into action in search of her eighth career victory.

As much as she desires to get her hand raised on martial arts' grandest stage again, the Indian athlete knows she won't have it easy against the Japanese veteran better known by her moniker 'Zombie.'

In an interview with ONE Championship, Ritu Phogat had nothing but praise for her dance partner ahead of fight night, as she said:

"Ayaka Miura is a very experienced fighter with a lot of skill. I would say she is a great opponent for me."

While she refuses to bite more than she can chew, the 30-year-old is more than capable of upsetting her foe on fight night.

The Commonwealth Wrestling Championships gold medalist has graced the Circle with some nail-biting performances and sensational finishes over the past five years.

She has dangerous striking tools to go with her savviness on the canvas, and it could be the difference once more in her atomweight MMA tussle against Miura at ONE 171: Qatar.

---

A victory for Ritu Phogat in Qatar could kickstart her dream of becoming her country's first female MMA world champion

There are plenty of factors that could derail Ritu Phogat when she steps back into action inside the Lusail Sports Arena.

However, if all goes to plan for 'The Indian Tigress' on fight night, she could well be on her way to reannouncing herself as a threat in the division, reclaiming a spot in the top five, and, potentially, working her way to a rematch and a shot at Stamp's ONE atomweight MMA world title.

The Indian athlete duked it out alongside the three-sport queen in the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final at ONE: Winter Warriors in December 2021.

Despite being a heavy favorite to beat the Thai, who was still upskilling her craft on the canvas, Ritu Phogat tapped to an armbar at the 2:14 mark of the second round.

Prior to that, she enjoyed seven triumphs from eight outings, including three TKOs over Jomary Torres, Nou Srey Pov, and Nam Hee Kim.

ONE 171: Qatar will be available live at watch.onefc.com on Thursday, Feb. 20.