Ritu Phogat confident her wrestling will diffuse Japanese opponent’s trademark ‘Ayaka Lock’ in Qatar

Image provided by ONE Championship
Image provided by ONE Championship

Ritu Phogat certainly isn't being secret about her game plan against Ayaka Miura.

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More than two years removed from her last appearance inside the Circle, 'The Indian Tigress' makes her highly anticipated return this Thursday, February 20, for a clash with the former ONE strawweight MMA world title challenger at ONE 171: Qatar.

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After suffering back-to-back submission losses in her last two outings, Phogat faces another tough test against Miura — a fighter with six career submissions under the ONE banner and an 86 percent finish rate.

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Asked how she plans to mitigate Miura's impressive judo game — specifically her iconic Ayaka Lock — Ritu Phogat made it clear that she plans to lean heavily on her world-class wrestling skills to stifle her opponent's offense and climb back into the win column.

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"My game is wrestling, so yes, I will definitely defeat her through wrestling," Phogat told ONE in a recent interview.

'Zombie' ready to continue her climb up the atomweight ladder with a win over the returning Ritu Phogat

Before suffering a couple of setbacks in her last two outings, Ritu Phogat went on an impressive 7-1 in ONE Championship with wins over Lin Heqin, Meng Bo, and Jenelyn Olsim.

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Meanwhile, Ayaka Miura has continued to climb up the atomweight ranks with a trio of solid showings, including submission victories over Meng Bo and Macarena Aragon.

'Zombie' also secured a dominant decision W over fellow Japanese MMA superstar Itsuki Hirata at ONE 165 in Tokyo.

With a win over Phogat, Miura could potentially establish herself as the next woman in line to challenge for the ONE atomweight MMA world championship, once the undisputed queen settles some business with interim titleholder Denice Zamboanga later this year.

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On the flip side, Phogat could immediately establish herself with a win over the third-ranked contender in one of ONE Championship's most stacked divisions.

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

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Edited by C. Naik
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