“I’ve never seen a girl work that hard” - Rahul Raju uber impressed with Ritu Phogat

ONE Championship lightweight veteran Rahul Raju counts himself as a huge fan of fellow Indian mixed martial artist, Ritu Phogat. After training with Phogat and getting to see her in her element, Raju says he has begun to understand why she was destined for great things.

In a recent interview with South China Morning Post, Raju spoke about how strong Ritu Phogat is both physically and mentally, and how she can overcome any obstacle thrown her way:

“You know honestly, wrestlers are mentally tough. They do this day one. They wrestle. She’s from the biggest wrestling family in India. She’s tough. Mentally, you don’t need to motivate a wrestler, and not just any wrestler, a high-level wrestler. They are tough. So, she’s going to be back."

When asked if there was anything he wanted to share with Phogat to help her career, Raju stated:

"She doesn’t need my advice. She has only been training in MMA for three years. This is nothing. I want her to experience these tough fights and she’s going to improve. I’ve trained with her a couple of times, and I know her work ethic. I’ve never seen a girl work that hard. It’s just a matter of time.”

Phogat was last seen in the Circle at December’s ONE: Winter Warriors event. The 27-year-old Indian wrestling icon suffered a second-round submission loss to Stamp Fairtex in the prestigious ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final.

Despite the loss, Raju feels Phogat is still on track to become India’s first-ever female MMA world champion.

Watch Rahul Raju's interview with SCMP MMA below:

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Rahul Raju believes Ritu Phogat will bounce back from latest defeat

Going from a wrestling champion to a high-level MMA artist is difficult, and Ritu Phogat has certainly been a work in progress. However, knowing who Phogat trains with and after having witnessed her hard at work, Raju says ‘The Indian Tigress’ will keep getting better and eventually reach her goals:

“[Ritu’s] jiu-jitsu coach DJ Jackson - that guy is a crazy good coach. Fortunately, I was able to train with him one time. And you know, you can just look at their team, their jiu-jitsu level is so high, and it’s because of that guy."

Furthermore, Raju believes Ritu Phogat is only going to get better with time:

"Ritu is still new to this game. She’s still leveling up, and she has a long, long way ahead. It was just a lesson for her. She’s going to be back. She had some wars before that fight. Even though I was really looking forward to seeing her get that title, I’m not sad about it because she’s going to be back in no time.”

Rahul Raju returns to action this Friday at ONE: Full Circle, where he faces Filipino fighter Drex ‘T-Rex’ Zamboanga in a lightweight contest.