Arjan Bhullar on how he's improved after spending time out of competition

Reigning ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar believes he has improved despite his lengthy layoff from competing.

Bhullar has not been seen inside the Circle since his impressive knockout of Brandon Vera more than two years ago. That will change on June 23 when ‘Singh’ steps inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for a long-awaited ONE heavyweight world title unification bout with reigning interim champion Anatoly Malykhin.

Ahead of his highly anticipated return, Bhullar spoke with MMA Underground about his time away and revealed that he has a much better relationship with ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong because of it.

“I’m a big believer in my life that everything happens for a reason,” Bhullar said. “And first and foremost, one of the biggest and best things that came out of this is that me and Chatri have a direct line now.”

Bhullar is a mere 2-0 under the ONE Championship banner, though that can clearly be attributed to sitting on the shelf for more than two years. In the meantime, a new heavyweight star has risen from the ashes in his absence. Anatoly Malykhin captured not one, but two ONE world titles in 2022, earning him Fighter of the Year honors and some big fat bonus checks in the process.

His next goal is to trade in his interim world title for undisputed gold at ONE Friday Fights 22 this Friday night.

Will Anatoly Malykhin continue his meteoric rise and keep his undefeated record intact, or will Arjan Bhullar remind everyone who the best heavyweight in the world is?

Fans in North America can catch all the action at ONE Friday Fights 22 live and for free on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel on June 23.