How Stamp And Ritu Reached The Atomweight World Grand Prix Final
Stamp Fairtex and Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat are the last athletes standing in the greatest women’s tournament in mixed martial arts.
After months of drama, the two superstars will square off in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS in Singapore on Friday, 3 December.
Before Stamp and Phogat clash for the tournament belt – and the right to challenge reigning atomweight queen “Unstoppable” Angela Lee – let’s relive their incredible journeys to the final.
Phogat Shows Incredible Heart To Defeat Meng Bo
Meng Bo entered the eight-woman field as one of the favorites, and she looked set to fulfill that expectation when she hurt “The Indian Tigress” with a right hand in the opening round of their quarterfinal match at ONE: EMPOWER.
The Chinese heavy hitter quickly swarmed for a finish, but Phogat somehow survived the onslaught. And then, it was her turn.
In round two, the Indian wrestling sensation took Meng to the canvas early and rained down a constant stream of punches, elbows, and knees.
It was one-way traffic again in round three as Phogat got back on top, passed her rival’s guard, and then dropped elbow and knees relentlessly until the final bell.
The stunning comeback was as much a showcase of the Indian’s heart as it was her skills – and those attributes combined for a career-best win.
Stamp Gets Redemption Against Rassohyna
Right after Phogat’s incredible showing, Stamp earned her way into the semifinals with a split decision over Alyona Rassohyna.
It was a sweet victory for the Thai, as her lone mixed martial arts defeat had come against the Ukrainian back at ONE: UNBREAKABLE III in February.
Stamp was clearly hungry for redemption and showed no signs of backing down from her old foe. She slammed hard right kicks into Rassohyna’s body throughout, but most notably, she held her own in the grappling exchanges with the submission specialist.
Rassohyna did threaten with several tight-looking submissions, but Stamp gritted her teeth, fought her way out, and blasted away with ground-and-pound — even attacking for a rear-naked choke of her own en route to the decision win.
It was a well-rounded performance from the Fairtex athlete, and she gained extra confidence from getting her revenge.
Phogat Dominates Olsim
After an injury forced Itsuki “Android 18” Hirata out of her semifinal clash with Phogat at ONE: NEXTGEN in October, in stepped Jenelyn Olsim.
The Filipina had nothing to lose and everything to gain, which pushed her to some early success with her hands. However, it wasn’t long before the Indian’s wrestling took over.
Phogat was determined to land takedowns and controlled Olsim from top position, fending off submission attempts from the bottom and slamming down ground strikes.
To Olsim’s credit, she didn’t stop battling until the final bell and tried everything to ensnare “The Indian Tigress.” But Phogat stayed one step ahead of that offense and dictated the action throughout to get the nod from all three judges.
It was another impressive performance from the Evolve representative, who showed that she can stick to a game plan and get the job done even in the face of change.
Stamp Prevails In Battle Of Strikers With Mezabarba
Stamp also got a new opponent for the semifinal round, as Julie Mezabarba replaced an injured Ham Seo Hee on the same bill at ONE: NEXTGEN.
Before the bout, the Brazilian kickboxer stated that Stamp’s Muay Thai style would be too slow for their mixed martial arts battle. Instead, the Thai’s striking helped her control the tempo and the range of the stand-up exchanges.
Mezabarba tried lunging in with her hands and did find some success, but it wasn’t enough to take a firm footing in the fight.
And once again, Stamp showed that her ground game is always evolving. Her dominant moments came on the canvas, as she dropped furious salvos of ground-and-pound on the RD Champions athlete and searched for a rear-naked choke.
While Mezabarba gave a spirited performance in the biggest bout of her career, it wasn’t enough to push the Thai star off course. The former Muay Thai and kickboxing queen earned the unanimous decision win and will now fight for the belt in a third sport on the global stage.
Read more: 3 Big Takeaways From ONE: NEXTGEN II
