Aamir Khan's Bollywood blockbuster "Dangal" is coming to life in Beijing, China on November 16 with one of the real Phogat sisters making her mixed martial arts (MMA) debut for Singapore's ONE Championship in the Chinese capital.

Ritu Phogat, who clinched a gold medal for India in the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship, is the third daughter of former wrestler Mahavir Phogat, the character played by Khan in the movie, which made the Phogat family a household name in China.

In an exclusive interview with CGTN Digital, the 25-year-old former wrestler said the location of her first MMA fight has made the occasion even more special.

"Since the venue for my debut match is in China, my confidence has already been boosted. I'm aware that people here know and love my family and our story. I think it's an advantage for me that my first match is happening in China," she said. 

"People have already seen the movie here, but they couldn't see a real-life Phogat. This is a good opportunity for the Chinese people to come and watch a real Phogat fight it out in the ring. It's going to be really exciting."

Also known as the "Indian Tigress" because of her aggressive fighting style, Ritu revealed that it was actually her and not her elder sisters, Geeta and Babita, who used to beat up boys in their village, as shown in the movie.

"Yes, it was actually me. When we started wrestling in the village, we had to fight with male wrestlers. In fact, I have beaten up a lot of boys in my village, so a lot of men in my village are scared of fighting against me... they advise each other 'stay away from her,'" she told CGTN Digital.

Ritu will take on former South Korean kickboxer Nam Hee Kim on Saturday. Nam, who's five years younger than Ritu and seven centimeters taller, made her MMA debut with a win in Road FC this August, but for the Phogat sister, who has been undergoing an intense MMA training since February in Singapore with Evolve MMA, these are just statistics.

"A lot of MMA fighters are former wrestlers, so it would be an advantage for me; it's easy for a wrestler to take down his/her opponent. MMA is mix of a lot of different sports, but as a wrestler, it's easy for me to control my opponent," she said, adding "I completely respect my opponent; she has also trained very hard to be here. I've also worked very hard in my training before coming here, so whatever strengths or weaknesses she may have against me… I'll give my 100 percent in the fight."

Phogat discovered MMA on YouTube at the age of 18, but coming from a family of wrestlers and being considered as one of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 medal-hopefuls, her decision to switch to the combat sport of MMA shocked many in the Indian wrestling fraternity.

"My family supported me throughout my decision… My father and my sisters told me that I should do what I find more interesting. They told me 'choose any sport, just keep making your country proud with your work,'" she told CGTN Digital.

MMA is the third-most popular sport in the world, behind soccer and basketball, according to Nielsen.

She also ruled out making a comeback to wrestling anytime soon. "Right now, all my focus is on MMA and becoming an MMA world champion someday… and after that, I will think about if I want to go back to wrestling."

While commenting on being nervous about fighting inside a cage instead of a mat, she laughingly said: "Jo darr gaya who marr gaya (those who fear, die)," adding "I am not scared of anything."