Arjan Bhullar proud to carry India’s identity: “That’s a great responsibility”

ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar will represent his home country of India as he fights the biggest fight of his career at ONE Friday Fights 22 on June 23. Across the Circle from him will be ONE interim heavyweight and reigning light-heavyweight world champion Anatoly 'Sladkiy' Malykhin. This massive unification bout will determine who will reign as ONE's undisputed heavyweight king.

Back in 2021, 'Singh' became the first MMA world champion of Indian descent when he knocked out Brandon Vera to win the promotion's heavyweight strap. Despite growing up in Canada and training in California, USA, Arjan Bhullar maintained his cultural identity by proudly representing it every time he fights.

ONE Championship put together a video package celebrating Bhullar's Indian heritage:

"Arjan Bhullar is here to take over 👊 Can India's first-ever MMA World Champion defend his throne when he takes on Anatoly Malykhin at ONE Friday Fights 22? @theonearjansinghbhullar"

India has produced numerous world champions in different sports through the years, namely Neeraj Chopra in Javelin Throw, Mirabai Chanu in Weightlifting, and Sundar Singh Gurjar in Para-Athletics, just to name a few. Not many, however, have reached the same heights in professional fighting. Not until Bhullar.

Together with his fellow Indian MMA star and ONE Championship athlete Ritu 'The Indian Tigress' Phogat, Arjan Bhullar is heralding a new generation of warriors from their country. India is rich in martial arts, excelling in swordfighting, macefighting, and wrestling. The latter being Phogat and Bhullar's specialty.

'Singh' utilizes his strong background in freestyle and folkstyle wrestling, which were inspired by the ancient Indian mud wrestling called Pehlwani. With his wrestling acumen, he won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and has become the first athlete of Indian descent to represent Canada in wrestling at the Summer Olympics. Bhullar even carries a Gada, an Indian mace used in battle, when he walks towards the Circle.

On representing India, Bhullar said in the video:

"That’s a great responsibility. I try to keep that within me wherever I go. No pressure, I put myself here."

ONE Friday Fights 22 is available live and for free on ONE Championship’s digital platforms as well as on its official broadcast partners.