“I’m not under any pressure” - Ritu Phogat says time off for motherhood was good for her as an elite athlete

Ritu Phogat claimed she's "not under any pressure at all" heading into her highly-anticipated return to ONE Championship.

Phogat last fought in September 2022, suffering a first-round submission loss against Tiffany Teo for her second consecutive defeat.

Since then, Phogat has been sidelined to focus on her life outside of fighting, as she gave birth to her first child.

Less than a year after giving birth, Phogat will return on Feb. 20 at ONE 171: Qatar. The Indian superstar has been matched up against top women's atomweight MMA contender Ayaka Miura.

During an interview with ONE, Phogat had this to say when asked if she's feeling any pressure ahead of her comeback fight:

"I’m not under any pressure at all because the two-year gap gave my body time to recover. 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."

Ritu Phogat has a massive opportunity to re-establish her presence in the ONE women's strawweight MMA title picture due to her opponent's ranking. Ayaka Miura is the number three-ranked contender and won her last fights.

ONE 171: Qatar goes down inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. The stacked event can be seen for free via watch.one.fc.com.

The next Thursday's event features two world title fights - Jonathan Haggerty vs. Wei Rui (bantamweight kickboxing main event) and Joshua Pacio vs. Jarred Brooks 3 (strawweight MMA unification co-main event).

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Ritu Phogat's run in ONE Championship

Ritu Phogat started her ONE Championship tenure in November 2019, winning four consecutive fights, including three by KO/TKO.

In May 2021, Phogat suffered a slight setback due to a split decision loss against the well-respected Bi Nguyen.

Phogat bounced back over the next seven months in 2021, winning three consecutive fights by unanimous decision.

Phogat has since suffered consecutive losses against Stamp Fairtex and Tiffany Teo, making her next fight one of the most important in her career.

With a win at ONE 171, Phogat would likely crack the women's atomweight MMA rankings and potentially be one win away from a title shot.