“I had confidence going into the fight” - Tiffany Teo credits her team for preparing her against Ritu Phogat

Tiffany Teo ascended to No.5 spot in the ONE women’s atomweight rankings after surgically dismantling Ritu Phogat in her divisional debut at ONE 161 last week.

‘The Indian Tigress’ wanted to make a statement of her own in her comeback fight after a lengthy layoff.

‘No Chill’, however, spoiled the party when she dominated her on the ground and finished her off with a rear-naked choke with just eight seconds remaining in round one.

Heading into the fight, Phogat, a Commonwealth Games gold medalist in wrestling, was deemed to have the upper hand in the grappling department.

But the roles were reversed in their bout, as the Singaporean star was the one who dominated once the fight hit the mats.

In an exclusive interview with ONE Championship, Tiffany Teo said she was more than prepared to take on Phogat in her wheelhouse.

After all, she also trains with high-caliber wrestlers on a daily basis:

“I wasn’t surprised, to be honest. I train with a lot of high level athletes in my gym also. There are a few SEA Games medalists in boxing and wrestling on my team, and they are guys also who are bigger and stronger than me.”

‘No Chill’ added:

“I get feedback from them and they do their analysis on Ritu’s wrestling and whole MMA game, so I had confidence going into the fight. Just having them as training partners, especially, I knew that Ritu’s wrestling wouldn’t be an issue for me.”

Tiffany Teo is a striker by heart and has even represented Singapore’s national boxing team in the past.

The 32-year-old, however, is also known for her versatility and ability to end fights wherever the fight goes.

Four of her eight wins in ONE Championship have come by submission, including her last two first-round rear-naked choke finishes against Meng Bo and Phogat.

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Tiffany Teo likes her chances against Angela Lee

Tiffany Teo has now put herself on the shortlist of Angela Lee’s next challengers after breaking into the top five of the atomweight division.

'Unstoppable’, of course, has managed to defend the 115-pound gold strap five times since claiming it but ‘No Chill’ believes she can put an end to her reign.

She told ONE in the same interview:

“I think I have superior striking compared to Angela and I think we’re pretty even on the ground. I feel like I can mix things up in terms of MMA, in just setting up my takedowns you know. I just feel like I pose a different threat to her compared to all the other athletes she has faced."

As intriguing as a Lee-Teo fight would be, she’ll likely have to win another high-profile bout against someone from the top five.

A fight against No.1 ranked Stamp Fairtex is unlikely since the Thai star is scheduled to take on Anissa Meksen in January. A world title-eliminator match against Ham So Hee or Denice Zamboanga could be an interestingbe interesting if Teo wants to stay active.