Wrestler-turned-Mixed Martial Arts fighter Ritu Phogat on Wednesday said she might return to wrestling in future but currently she's focussed on putting in the hard yards to achieve her dream of becoming India's first MMA world champion.
Ritu, who had bagged the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championships gold and silver at the 2017 World Under-23 Championships, won her debut MMA fight at the One: Age of Dragons event, beating South Korea's Nam Hee Kim in under three minute.
The 25-year-old from Haryana, daughter of the legendary wrestling coach Mahavir Singh Phogat, will next feature in her second MMA bout on February 28 in Singapore.
"I know I still have a long way to go, but I'm willing to continue to put the work in until I reach my ultimate goal. My dream is to give India its first ever mixed martial arts world champion," she said ahead of her face-off with China's Pro MMA fighter Wu Chiao Chen at One: King Of The Jungle on February 28.
"As an athlete, I am open to meet any challenge head on. Working with elite world champions at Evolve in Singapore has really cultivated my combat skills and transformed me into a complete fighter."