"My biggest motivation is my baby...": MMA fighter Ritu Phogat on her comeback after embracing motherhood

Former Asian Championships medalist wrestler turned MMA fighter, Ritu will be competing in her first fight since giving birth at ONE Championship against Japan's Ayaka Miura on February 20. Having contested her last fight in September 2022 and having lost her previous two fights, Ritu will be aiming to get her record back on track with a triumphant win.

Speaking to ANI recently, Ritu expressed her excitement about the upcoming bout and looks forward to making a strong comeback.

"I am very excited for the bout since I was away from action for two years. Any athlete cannot stay away from his/her sport for so long. I had the same feeling too. I wanted to make a strong comeback and I am looking forward to it," said Ritu.

Ritu said that after becoming a mother, one has a "second birth" and this affected her training and preparation for the bout.

"My body became very weak. I had to work hard to bring my body back to the same strength. It was a big challenge for me to bring my body back to the same strength. Currently, my fitness is good. My training is also going well. I am doing my training out of the country. On Monday morning, I do kickboxing. In the evening, I do Jiu-Jitsu. On Tuesday, I do strength conditioning. On Wednesday, I do wrestling. I do training for 4-5 hours a day. I do training for 6 days a week," said Ritu detailing her training.

She said that right now, her biggest motivation is her baby.

"My biggest motivation is my baby. I want him to know how hard his mother worked for him," she said.

Ritu detailed the challenges of balancing sports and motherhood, saying that every mother has her own set of challenges and her family is helping her fight them well.

"When you have a good family around you, you can play sports. It becomes very easy. My family, my husband, and my mother-in-law have helped me a lot. They have made it easier for me. I am able to focus on my training. They are taking care of my baby," she added.

Having a win-loss record of 7-3, out of which two losses came in her previous two matches, Ritu said that she has been working hard to correct the mistakes she made during her losses and wants her comeback to be strong.

"I want everyone to see a different version of me," she added.

Having been in MMA since 2019, Ritu pointed out that the only difference between wrestling and MMA is the use of punches.

"In wrestling, punches are not legal. In MMA, even if we get angry, we can take it down," she said.

On speaking with her father Mahavir Phogat, a legendary wrestler-coach, she said that he often discusses her fights with her.

"He keeps calling me. My father watches my videos. He tells me about some techniques. He tells me not to give my opponent a chance and how to fight, even though he is not very much aware of MMA," said Ritu.

Speaking about her bout with Ayaka, a Judo specialist who is known to win her fights through submissions, Ritu said, "I want to show that in the battle of judo and wrestling, wrestling is the best." (ANI)