Jenelyn Olsim isn’t too dejected even after her decision loss to Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat last Friday.
Phogat’s wrestling was just too much for Olsim to handle in their ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Semifinals match at ONE: NEXTGEN at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, but the late replacement isn’t too worried.
“I feel great. I am very happy to be part of this historic moment. This is a life changing bout for me because it shows that I have reached this far, and I have performed at my best even though I lost. It shows that I need to train more and gain more experience,” Olsim said.
“I am proud of my performance. It was like four days of notice. My opponent changed so some of our game plan changed, but I was very excited because this is the Grand Prix,” she added.
“I thought it’s a big opportunity for me so why not accept it even though I have to change an opponent.”
Even with the loss, the Team Lakay star gave a good account of herself as she was active both on the feet and from the bottom position, throwing one submission attempt after another as Phogat dominated in the positioning, utilizing her wrestling to control the Filipina.
The 24-year-old conceded that Phogat’s wrestling was the difference but she vowed to be better moving forward.
“Her wrestling was really good and she was really strong. Watching her fight [in the past] I didn’t think that she was that strong. She’s a very experienced wrestler. I believe that I really need to gain more experience and I can be better than this,” Olsim shared.
“I trained with the champions in the gym and they taught me a lot. I attempted submissions but I really need more strength and conditioning training to finish my attempts.
There’s no doubt that Ritu is strong and experienced.”
Still, Olsim believes that she will have her time in the limelight soon and that she has the necessary tools to become one of the best fighters in the division.
It just wasn’t her night last Friday.
“If I were given a longer time to prepare and train more, I could have beaten her cause it was quite close,” Olsim said.
“It’s just that she dominated me in the wrestling department, she was able to pin me down but I attempted a lot of submissions too and I got her on the striking, it’s just I needed more time to prepare.”
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