Ritu Phogat to make mixed martial arts debut on Nov 16

Indian wrestler Ritu Phogat is set to make her professional mixed martial arts debut, taking on Korea's Nam Hee Kim in an atom weight contest at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China on November 16.

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"I want to become a mixed martial arts World Champion, and everything I'm doing now is preparing me for that," said the 25-year-old Indian ahead of her first foray into the mixed martial arts arena.

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"I made the decision to jump into this with my full heart and will. My goal is to become the first Indian woman to win a mixed martial arts World Championship. I believe I'm in a great position to represent my country and I want to inspire as many women as I can. It's an honor."

Phogat is a Commonwealth Wrestling Championships gold medalist, World U23 Wrestling World Championships silver medalist, Asian Wrestling Championships bronze medalist, and multiple-time Indian National Wrestling Champion. The atom weight category is for competitors weighing at or less than 48 kg.

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