“That’s how he won his fights” – Arjan Bhullar lays out Amir Aliakbari’s biggest strengths ahead of showdown in Qatar

The ONE heavyweight MMA division is filled with notable athletes who can perform at the highest levels, and chief among them is former divisional king Arjan Bhullar.

The Indian MMA star will play a major role in ONE Championship’s first-ever live event in Qatar as he takes on renowned finisher Amir Aliakbari at ONE 166 inside the Lusail Sports Arena on March 1.

‘Singh’ is no stranger to being in the limelight after etching his name in the ONE Championship history books by becoming the heavyweight MMA world champion thanks to a heart-stopping TKO of MMA legend Brandon Vera in 2021.

On the other side of the ONE circle, Aliakbari has also been in a handful of dominant performances as well, featuring TKOs over Vera and Mauro Cerilli plus forcing Dustin Joynson to submit to strikes after receiving a non-stop ground-and-pound barrage.

Bhullar knows that he will need to convincingly beat the Iranian and revealed in an interview with ONE Championship about how much knowledge he had of Aliakbari’s strengths:

“His biggest strengths - the way he has won, he's been able to take guys down and he's tough when he's on top and he could keep you down there with his damage. That's how he won his fights.”

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Arjan Bhullar looking forward to trading shots with Amir Aliakbari

At 37 years old, Bhullar is expected to play a more cautious game against Aliakbari as the Iranian’s one-punch knockout power will surely play a big role.

But with all the challenges that he has faced in his personal life thus far, Bhullar is instead excited at the thought of stepping in the ONE circle with another feared heavyweight.

ONE 166 is available live and free on Prime Video in the United States and Canada.