Ritu Phogat says dinner with Conor McGregor would be "an honor"
Ritu Phogat would welcome the chance to sit down for dinner with Conor McGregor.
'The Indian Tigress' is on the cusp of the biggest fight of her career. Phogat will take on Stamp Fairtex in the final of the ONE Women's Atomweight World Grand Prix on Friday.
McGregor recently took to Twitter to heap praise on Indian culture, as well as Phogat. In turn, the former wrestler said she'd love an opportunity to have dinner with 'The Notorious'.
Rooting for the Indians to make a stamp in this game soon! Quite very possibly the most respectful and caring nationality I’ve ever met in my life, the Indians. Let’s go India 🇮🇳 ❤️ twitter.com/the_bridge_in/…
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, Phogat said:
"I would be excited to have dinner with Conor McGregor and I hope it does happen sometime in the future. Given his admiration for the Indian people and culture, it would be an honor to acquaint him with my country's rich and diverse gastronomy. Apart from being starstruck, I would ask him to show me how to throw his patented pull-back left-handed counter so that I could unleash it on my future opponents."
Phogat is a big fan of McGregor's arch-rival Khabib
Phogat added that she's found the praise from McGregor "incredibly flattering and humbling."
Whilst the Indian wrestler named McGregor as the star she'd most like to have dinner with, she's often stated in the past that her biggest inspiration in MMA is the Irishman's arch-rival, Khabib Nurmagomedov. On that matter, Phogat told Sportskeeda:
"While MMA fans might find it funny due to differing allegiances, I didn't find it odd because respecting each other's craft and achievements are what martial arts is all about. As a true mixed martial artist and global ambassador of the sport, I would not expect anything but respect from MMA royalty such as Conor McGregor. Although I am a Khabib fan, I admire Conor equally for his unique personality and contributions to the sport that we are so fond of today."
Phogat's chances of getting some facetime with McGregor, or indeed Khabib, will only increase as her stardom grows.
The 27-year-old has said that she sees fear in the eyes of her opponent, Stamp Fairtex. If Phogat can capitalize on that fear and get the victory then she'll be the first Indian woman to win a world title in a major promotion. It's certainly an intriguing matchup and represents a classic striker vs. grappler affair.
Phogat initially lost her place in the tournament after losing a split decision to Bi Nguyen at ONE: 'Dangal'. She regained her place by beating the formidable Li Heqin via unanimous decision and hasn't looked back.
She racked up back-to-back wins against Meng Bo and Jenelyn Olsim to seal her place in the final. If she overcomes Stamp, she'll etch her name into the history books and set up a dream match with current champion Angela Lee.