Arjan Bhullar says he kept working in the gym during lengthy hiatus

Arjan Bhullar kept himself busy at the gym despite his lengthy layoff from competing.

Bhullar captured the ONE heavyweight world championship in May 2021, scoring a second-round knockout against former titleholder Brandon Vera at ONE: Dangal. More than two years later, ‘Singh’ is yet to defend his title, but that all changes on June 23 when Bhullar is scheduled to step inside the ring for a long-awaited title unification bout with reigning two-division ONE world champion Anatoly Malykhin.

Despite the long layoff from competition, Arjan Bhullar says that he stayed in shape, regularly putting in work at the gym, while his management team ironed out the details that eventually paved the way for his return.

“It was difficult, it was very very difficult, I like to stay active, I like to compete, but there’s obviously a business side to it and I allowed my management to take the lead on that,” Bhullar said during an appearance on Smack Talk with Sandhu. “I’m like ‘Just tell me when it’s done, I’m gonna be in the gym.’”

Catch Bhullar's comments from 13:35 onwards:

While Arjan Bhullar has been sitting on the sidelines, Anatoly Malykhin became a fan favorite inside the Circle, capturing two world titles in 2022 and earning himself Fighter of the Year honors.

As the current interim ONE heavyweight champion, the Russian juggernaut will attempt to trade in his interim title for undisputed gold inside the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium at ONE Friday Fights 22.

Fans in North America can catch the full event live and for free on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel on June 23.