In February 2019, Ritu Phogat the third daughter of the former Indian wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, decided to move away from her family business of Dangal on the match and make her own destiny in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). 

Even though names like Agilan Thani and Arjan Singh Bhullar had already introduced the concept of fighting in the octagon ring years before Phogat's move, they were neither as famous nor belonged to such a well-known family with a sports background. 

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So, when the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship gold medallist decided to begin her journey to becoming “the first Indian to become an MMA world champion”, there were people who thought she should have stuck to what her family new best if she wanted to survive in the highly-competitive sporting environment in India. 

But watching her first MMA bout will surely make her critics rethink their position on the 25-year-old athlete. 

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Making her debut at the One: Age of Dragons MMA event in Beijing's Wukesong Arena, Ritu competed in the atom weight category against South Korea's Nam Hee Kim and dominated her from the beginning. 

While Phogat was able to toss Hee Kim to the floor in the first minute, the latter found her footing and was able to stand up. But moments later, Phogat capitalised on another takedown and that was it for the South Korean. Within three minutes, Phogat could be seen mounted atop her opponent landing what seemed like endless punches and elbows to Hee Kim's head and ear. 

“It didn't feel any different than all the wrestling bouts I had competed in. I was just thinking about doing what I had been taught. And my wrestling set up my match perfectly," she said after her victory.  

"I'm not going to take a break after this win. I'm going to go right back to Singapore and start training once again. There is so much for me to learn. I have to keep getting better," she said.

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