Jomary Torres of Catalan Fighting System has been working on her wrestling skills ahead of the ONE: Big Bang at the Singapore Indoor Stadium next month.
Torres hopes to mark a successful comeback after a dismal four-match losing streak in the women's atomweight division of ONE Championship. But "The Zamboangianian Fighter" faces another tough hurdle in Indian rising star Ritu Phogat, who remained undefeated in three matches since her debut last year.
"I know I’m the underdog here and people think I have very little chance in beating her. But I think I will surprise a lot of people," said Torres. "I’m determined to win because I’m fighting for my family. Fans should expect a good, exciting fight.”
Torres, who has a 4-4 record, was also unfortunate last January in ONE: Fire & Fury following a no-contest declaration against Jenny Huang of Taiwan due to an accidental low blow.
Despite improving her wrestling prowess, Torres still seeks victory by way of knockout in the hopes of helping her family back in Zamboanga.
Torres, though, admitted that Phogat, a three-time Indian national wrestling champion and 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Champion, has also improved her skillset in just a year in the professional ranks.
"The Indian Tigress" displayed wrestling mastery in all of her three fights, but scored technical knockouts against Nam Hee Kim last November 2019 and Nou Srey Pov last month.
“I watched her last fight, and her wrestling was really on full display. She also boxed very well. That improvement I’m sure comes from her training at Evolve ," said Torres of the 26-year-old Phogat. "There she has everything she needs. I won’t be surprised if she becomes a world champion one day."
ONE: Big Bang kicks off on December 4 in Singapore, the first of ONE Championship’s live events next month, which also features Team Lakay's Danny Kingad and Kairat Akhmetov of Kazakhstan in the flyweight bout.