Doha, Qatar: Ritu Phogat was born into a famed wrestling family in India where winning became a habit. But now, her goal is something even bigger – winning as a mother.
At ONE 171: Qatar, "The Indian Tigress" returns to the Circle to face submission specialist and #2-ranked Ayaka Miura in an atomweight MMA showdown at Lusail Sports Arena in Doha on Thursday, February 20.
For the 30-year-old Phogat, the fight is more than just about winning to enter the divisional rankings. She also wants to prove that motherhood hasn't slowed her down. Instead, it has made her even stronger.
"Now, I don't fight for myself but for my child. This makes me stronger because when my child grows up, he’ll know how much effort his mother put in. That’s what motivates me the most," Phogat said.
Phogat was raised in a family of champions. Her father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, is a legendary wrestling coach, and her sisters have won Olympic medals.
"The Indian Tigress” continued that tradition by winning gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship. After that, she transitioned to the all-encompassing sport with the hopes of becoming India’s first women’s MMA World Champion.
She found success in the new sport, winning seven of her first eight fights in ONE Championship. But after back-to-back losses, she took a step away from competition. During that time, she started a family and embraced motherhood.
Now, after more than two years away from competition, she is ready to return.
"One of my motivations for making a comeback is to challenge this mindset in India that a mother should stay at home and only take care of the child after giving birth. I want to show everyone that a mother can do whatever she sets her mind to. This is the biggest reason for me to fight," Phogat said.
Getting back into shape is one thing, but finding the confidence and hunger to compete again is another. She acknowledged that balancing a professional fight career with motherhood has been a challenging journey, but she's grateful to have a supportive family.
"Handling training alongside taking care of the baby is really tough. Maybe if I were alone, I wouldn't have been able to manage it as well, but my family has been a huge help in allowing me to practice and focus on my game," Phogat said.
"I continued working out even during pregnancy. It's often said that a mother is reborn after giving birth. It takes some time to regain your previous strength, but with consistent effort, you can overcome everything.
"During pregnancy and after delivery, I would sometimes feel irritated and get angry. However, handling those moments wasn’t too difficult. If your family supports and motivates you, everything becomes easier."
With that, Phogat adjusted. She rebuilt her routine to balance motherhood and training. Now, the Indian inspiration is stepping back into competition not to prove anything to the world, but to prove to herself that she can still chase her dreams.
"My goal is the same – to become India's first women’s MMA World Champion,” Phogat said. “I want to show the world that India also has the best fighters. I will keep working hard until I achieve it.”
