Former Canadian wrestling great turned Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Arjan Singh Bhullar is putting everything on the line this week to become the first Indian, Indo-Canadian MMA World Champion when he takes on reigning ONE Championship heavyweight Brandon “The Truth” Vera on Saturday in Singapore. “It’s been a long, long year away from competition. But I’ve been training all the whole time,” Bhullar said. “I’ve been training specifically for Brandon Vera for over a year now. I’m excited to get back in there to compete.” At stake is a US $250,000 job offer to work directly under ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong as his protege in business. The winner will also be named ONE’s new Chief of Staff. Catch all the action of ONE: DANGAL on the ONE Super App at 6 p.m. on 15 May.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff With News Files

VANCOUVER – Former Canadian wrestling great turned Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Arjan Singh Bhullar is putting everything on the line this week to become the first Indian, Indo-Canadian MMA World Champion when he takes on reigning ONE Championship heavyweight Brandon “The Truth” Vera on Saturday in Singapore.

Fighting in the main event of ONE: DANGAL, Bhullar is hoping to beat Vera and snatch the championship belt from the man who has held it since 2014.

“I’m very excited for this title fight. It was long overdue. We were supposed to fight over a year ago, (but) due to the pandemic, it got canceled once and then got canceled again near the end of last year,” Bhullar said. “Third time’s a charm. This fight was inevitable. Me winning this title is inevitable. Indian MMA blowing up is inevitable.”

If Bhullar wins, he’ll become the first-ever Sikh-Indian Mixed Martial Arts World Champion. With that prestigious status on the line, he’s been preparing religiously to battle the man who’s been unbeatable since capturing ONE’s inaugural heavyweight belt in 2014.

“It’s been a long, long year away from competition. But I’ve been training all the whole time,” Bhullar said. “I’ve been training specifically for Brandon Vera for over a year now. I’m excited to get back in there to compete. That’s the part that I enjoy the most. Training sessions are cool and fun, but competition is the best when all the lights are on, and all eyes are on me.”

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Bhullar knows, however, that toppling the heavyweight icon won’t be easy, especially with the versatile skill set that Vera brings to the Circle.

“He is older, but he’s undefeated as a Heavyweight Champion in ONE,” Bhullar adds.

“He’s been a champ for five, six years – for a very long time now. He’s stopped every one of his opponents. So, he’s very dangerous, very experienced, dangerous everywhere.

“His kicks, his knees, his elbows, [he’s] good off his back. He’s been in the game a long, long time, and you must be ready to go in all places [against Vera].”

Bhullar will be ready come Saturday but if you ask him, it won’t be physical attributes alone that carry him to victory.

“My greatest strength is my insight that allows me to train daily, weekly, yearly. I stay disciplined all the time, not just when I have a fight booked or I have a competition coming up. I keep my eye on the prize,” he said.

“This is my life, my priority, and my life’s work. And I take it very, very seriously. To have the best version of myself, there is nothing more important to me in my life and no other priority.

“Skills are great, being faster, stronger, all those things –sure. But when you have a war of attrition, it’s the insights that always come out, and that’s going to be the difference in this fight.”

The 34-year-old Bhullar who traces his roots to Billi Bhullar village in the Jalandhar district of the North Indian state of Punjab even though he’s all Canadian who was born and grew up in Richmond, BC  says he has learned a lot from his wrestling great father. He stresses the importance of working together to achieve great things.

Bhullar, who says he has a passion for martial arts and the world of business, believes the winning candidate should be motivated enough to be willing to risk it all. At the same time, he says that candidates need to approach problems with intelligent solutions, in order to win.

“The mind is very powerful and it is a muscle. So the more you push through things, the more stamina you build, the more mental strength you build, and the easier it becomes. It becomes a habit of being able to push through,” Bhullar said.

“We are creatures of habit and that’s what it is. To have the mental strength and fortitude, to have the muscle and then you can go further and further and do it more. You just have to make the decision to do it. What we say as athletes, get comfortable with the uncomfortable. It is a mindset.”

“The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” brings together 16 candidates handpicked from around the world to compete in a series of business challenges, and for the first time ever in the franchise, physical tasks that will test their mind, body, and spirit. Each week, at least one candidate is eliminated, until only one is left standing, earning the right to be called “The Apprentice.”

At stake is a US $250,000 job offer to work directly under ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong as his protege in business. The winner will also be named ONE’s new Chief of Staff.

Catch all the action of ONE: DANGAL on the ONE Super App at 6 p.m. on 15 May.