Phogat Books Grand Prix Final Spot With Dominant Win Over Olsim

Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat has booked her spot in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final.

Phogat’s world-class wrestling earned her a unanimous decision win over Team Lakay’s Jenelyn Olsim in the tournament semifinals at ONE: NEXTGEN on Friday, 29 October. 

Olsim started out on a lively note, effectively stopping Phogat’s initial takedown attempt while using her reach and fast hands to disrupt the Indian’s striking. But her success was short-lived.

Soon, Phogat displayed her grappling prowess and scored the first of many takedowns. While battling on the ground, Olsim constantly threatened with submissions, especially triangles and armbars, but “The Indian Tigress” always escaped, advanced her position, and methodically unleashed ground strikes.

In the waning seconds of the opening frame, Olsim threw an illegal kick at a grounded Phogat, who was on her knees and seemingly trying to enter her rival’s guard. After the Filipina was issued a warning by the referee, the two fighters exchanged strikes to close out the round.

In the second canto, Phogat opened with a huge takedown that landed her in Olsim’s guard. From there, she worked her ground-and-pound as the Filipina attempted submissions from the bottom.

During another exchange on the canvas, “The Indian Tigress” patiently picked her shots and landed punches from within the guard.

And while Olsim’s work on the bottom was commendable, the momentum was undeniably in Phogat’s favor as they moved into the final stanza. 

Sensing that she was behind, Olsim attempted to sway the bout in her favor by letting her hands go in round three. However, Phogat avoided most of the strikes, hit a single-leg takedown, and landed in the Filipina’s half-guard. From there, “The Indian Tigress” took side control and launched knees at her rival.

The women eventually returned to their feet, but the wrestling superstar was determined to drag her foe back to the mat. In the final minute of the fight, Phogat grabbed a leg and tried to lift her up. Instead, she fell backward and onto the canvas, with Olsim landing on top.

Though Phogat slid out, Olsim latched onto her and went for a triangle choke with less than 45 seconds left on the clock. But the Indian star looked relaxed as she escaped, and the match ended with Phogat on top of Olsim – a perfect representation of how dominant she was for the entire contest.

The win moved Phogat’s record to 7-1 and earned her a spot in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final against Stamp Fairtex.

“This is an important bout for me,” the Indian told Mitch Chilson following her victory.

“I wanted to give my 100 percent in this fight. I want to give my country the first woman World Champion. That’s why this is very important for me.”

Read more: ONE: NEXTGEN – Live Results And Highlights For Every Fight