“That’s the only advantage she has” - Tiffany Teo says wrestling the only trump card for Ritu Phogat

Tiffany Teo doesn’t seem fazed as she starts her journey in a new weight class. After all, she believes that her upcoming opponent, Ritu Phogat, is just a one-trick pony.

‘No Chill’, a two-time ONE women’s strawweight world title challenger, will be looking for a fresh start as she moves down to the women’s 115-pound division. ‘The Indian Tigress’ will be welcoming her on the other side of the circle at ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai on September 29 inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

While Tiffany Teo acknowledges Phogat’s ferocious wrestling pedigree, she believes that the Indian star is one-dimensional. In an interview with ONE Championship ahead of their clash, the Matrix MMA standout didn’t hold back and questioned her foe’s supposed limited skill set:

“I think that’s the only advantage she has, to be honest. I mean, that’s the only thing she can do, based on the fights that I’ve watched. I don’t see her trying to strike with her opponent. I think on the ground is where she’s more confident, right?”

Tiffany Teo continued:

“We have never seen her strike with her opponent, or try to be on the back and play jiu-jitsu with her opponent, so I don’t think this match will be any different. I think that’s the only thing she does best, so that’s probably what she’s going to try to do. So she can try to take me to the ground, and we’ll see what happens there.”

To be fair, Phogat has employed a punishing, grappling-heavy tactic to overwhelm her former adversaries. While it’s not the most crowd-pleasing style, Phogat’s game plan does work for her since she won seven of her first nine MMA bouts.

The Evolve MMA representative was even one win away from a shot at divisional queen Angela Lee but fell short against Stamp Fairtex in the women’s atomweight world grand prix final.

On the other hand, Tiffany Teo is a well-rounded fighter with a proven track record of knockout and submission finishes in the first round. She also went unbeaten in her first seven MMA bouts. It is also worth noting that the only two losses on her record came at the hands of women’s strawweight queen and one of the finest female fighters in the world, Xiong Jing Nan.

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Ritu Phogat is out to prove she’s more than just a wrestler against Tiffany Teo

After missing action for the past nine months due to an injury, Phogat enters her match against Teo with a significant chip on her shoulder. Aside from dealing with her nagging shoulder issues, ‘The Indian Tigress’ also used the time off to sharpen other aspects of her game, particularly her striking.

Phogat, who won gold in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games, is used to dealing with pundits questioning her abilities on the feet. Then again, the best way to silence her doubters is to put Tiffany Teo to sleep in their upcoming bout. ‘The Indian Tigress’ intends to do just that:

“I have tried to improve my striking in the last three-to-four months, and I will try my best to showcase my boxing and striking against her. I want to knock her out and show the world that they have seen my wrestling and ground game, but I can finish by striking too.”