The Phogat sisters redefined women’s wrestling in India, and Ritu Phogat stands tall among them. Hailing from Balali, Haryana, this powerhouse, born May 2, 1994, to coach Mahavir Singh Phogat and Daya Kaur, ditched academics post-10th to chase glory full-time. With siblings Geeta, Babita, and Sangita as trailblazers, wrestling was family legacy.
Ritu’s accolades piled up swiftly. Gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Games in the 48kg freestyle category in Singapore marked her international debut. She repeated as national champion that October and fetched a record 36 lakhs from Jaipur Ninjas in the Pro Wrestling League.
A silver at the 2017 World U-19 Championships in Poland followed. Yet, seeking new battles, Ritu hung up her wrestling shoes in 2019 for MMA. Honing skills in Singapore’s Evolve MMA with Muay Thai and BJJ, she aimed to put India on the global MMA map.
Her ONE Championship atomweight debut against Nam Hee Kim in 2019’s Age of Dragons ended in a blistering three-minute win. Still competing, Ritu’s journey from akhada to cage inspires a new generation of Indian fighters, blending wrestling grit with MMA ferocity.
