KEY POINTS

  • Jenelyn Olsim looks back on her three-round affair with Ritu Phogat in the ONE Atomweight GP
  • There were times when she had Phogat in danger, but the latter's wrestling accumen stood out
  • Olsim says that her next fight would most likely be against Jihin Radzuan

Team Lakay’s Jenelyn Olsim was in a reflective mood while speaking to the media after her loss to Ritu Phogat in the semifinals of the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix.

The International Business Times was able to ask the Muay Thai-heavy fighter on what her game plan was going into the fight and what went wrong.

“What I had in my mind then [going into the fight] was to focus on my striking in the early rounds but Ritu Phogat’s wrestling is on another level, which is why she was able to take me down easily. My backup plan was made specifically for the ground, forcing Phogat to submit because I really needed to finish the fight if I wanted to win.” said a pensive Olsim.

The 24-year-old was brought in as a replacement for Itsuki Hirata who had to pull out of the fight due to a non-COVID related illness.

In the early going, Olsim was able to prevent some of Phogat’s takedown attempts, flustering the wrestling-heavy fighter from India.

It would only be a matter of time for Phogat to find the right opening to take down Olsim and work her way into dominant positions.

Olsim was able to take Phogat by surprise by threatening her with multiple submission attempts throughout the fight and forcing her way back on her feet.

The 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist in Muay Thai was extremely close to getting a triangle choke locked as the first round was coming to a close, but Phogat got out of it and resumed her ground-and-pound.

An armbar attempt in the second round and another triangle choke in the third round was about as much offense as Olsim could muster after “The Indian Tigress” forced the fight to stay on the ground.

When asked about her next fight, Olsim revealed that she feels ONE Championship will have her fight in an atomweight bout against her original opponent in Jihin Radzuan.

But being the tough-nosed fighter that she is, the Team Lakay standout also hopes she can run it back with Phogat after her brief run in the Grand Prix.

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