As India’s Ritu Phogat resumes her MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) career post-lockdown, she is drawing inspiration from Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli.
“I often watch Virat Kohli’s training videos, as they motivate me,” Ritu said during a video call with the Indian media from Singapore on October 21. The 26-year-old will take on Nou Srev Pov of Cambodia in the ONE Championship on October 30.
Ritu also looks up to Russian MMA star Khabib Nurmagomedov. “He motivates me the most. I follow everything he does,” she said. “Other than that, my sisters are my inspiration.”
Orderly but lonesome Singapore, where Ritu has been based for a year and a half, is a world away from Balali, Haryana, where she grew up with her sisters Geeta, Babita and Sangeeta. They are daughters of Mahavir Singh Phogat, the former wrestler and Dronacharya Award winner.
Geeta, Babita and their cousin Vinesh Phogat are all wrestlers and are Commonwealth Games gold medallists. Ritu started as a wrestler too but switched to MMA in 2019 because she wanted to do something different.
In 2016, elements of the family’s story were brought to the big screen in the Aamir Khan film ‘Dangal’.
Even as Ritu maintained a composed demeanour during the call, her loneliness slipped through some of her statements and, at times, her body language. Lockdown blues and some anxiety over a new sport made her miss her family even more.
“It’s been tough, being away from home,” Ritu said. “I miss my sisters and my nephew. My last fight was on February 20, after which I went home for a week. Soon after I came back to Singapore, it went into lockdown. Earlier, I could at least practice and stay busy. During the lockdown, I had nothing to do. Had I still been a wrestler, I could have practised at home as I knew the drills. But I did not know enough MMA drills. Anyway, I watched some videos online. My coach shared some routines with me. And then I was ok.”
Grappling an opponent has been banned in MMA in Singapore due to Covid-19, which is a setback to a fighter with a wrestling base. But Ritu is taking that as a challenge to show her rivals that she can land punches as well. “I want to show them that Ritu yeh bhi kar sakti hai,” she said. “I’m not just a wrestler but also a striker.”
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