Arjan Bhullar says MMA is right behind Cricket in terms of popularity in India

ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar shared that though cricket remains the most popular sport in India, MMA is quickly catching up. ‘Singh’ recently visited his home country and got the opportunity to play Cricket and meet some of the players, who turned out to be fans of MMA.

The Indian-Canadian fighter told the South China Morning Post in an interview:

“Cricket was a lot of fun. The players are very aware of the sport, of ONE Championship, they are fans. Cricket is king in India, but I think MMA is right there behind it. And it was very fun to go [to India].”

Watch the interview below:

Arjan Bhullar made history in May 2021 by becoming the first fighter of Indian origin to win a major MMA world title. He dethroned erstwhile title holder and now-retired Filipino-American Brandon Vera by way of a second-round technical knockout.

The American Kickboxing Academy affiliate is set to make his first title defense on June 23 at ONE Friday Fights 22 in Bangkok. He will be challenged by ONE interim heavyweight world champion Anatoly Malykhin of Russia in a long-awaited unification bout.

Despite the long gap from his last fight, Arjan Bhullar assured that he is in fighting shape and has continued working on his game and conditioning despite being away from the ONE circle. It is something he cannot wait to showcase come ONE Friday Fights 22 at the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Anatoly Malykhin, for his part, seeks to become the undisputed heavyweight king and a two-division ONE world champion as he also holds the light heavyweight championship title. He has been undefeated in four fights in ONE Championship, with all his victories coming by impressive finishes.

ONE Friday Fights 22 will be aired for free on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel.