Arjan Singh Bhullar (born May 13, 1986) is an Indo-Canadian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

currently competing in the heavyweight division of

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

, where he is the current ONE Heavyweight World Champion. He has also competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Bhullar is also a former

freestyle wrestler Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestling i ...

and folkstyle wrestler. As a freestyle wrestler, has represented Canada at the 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, ...

, at the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games, were a major continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of 5,633 athletes from 42 National Olympic C ...

and at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In folkstyle, Bhullar is a 2-time NAIA Champion and 1-time freestyle CIS Champion from Canada.

Wrestling career

Early life and Folkstyle

Bhullar was born and raised in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

. He started wrestling at a young age. As a collegiate wrestler, he competed for the

Simon Fraser Clan The SFU Red Leafs or Simon Fraser Red Leafs teams (formerly the Simon Fraser Clan) represent Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of NCAA Division II and are the only Canadian university affiliate ...

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located ...

, a NAIA university at the time. He had a successful career while wrestling at 285 pounds, placing third in 2007 and becoming champion in 2008 and 2009 at the

NAIA Wrestling Championship The NAIA Wrestling Championship is the annual tournament to determine the national champions of NAIA men's collegiate wrestling in the United States and Canada. It has been held annually since 1958. The tournament consists of both a team national ...

s. He was also named Canada's Wrestler of the year and NAIA outstanding wrestler in 2009. At the 2009 CIS Championships, Bhullar became the first wrestler to ever win the NAIA and CIS titles in the same year. Bhullar won a gold medal at the

. Arjan represented Canada at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Giving back to wrestling, Arjan is one of the founding coaches of the

University of the Fraser Valley The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), formerly known as University College of the Fraser Valley and Fraser Valley College, is a Canadian public university with campuses in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission and Hope, British Columbia. Founde ...

varsity wrestling program. The UFV Cascades compete in the CIS.

Freestyle career

For five years, Bhullar was a member of the Canadian National Team and was also the National Champion since 2008 to 2012 at 120 kilograms. In 2006, Bhullar placed third at the World University Championships. In 2007, he won a bronze medal at the Pan American Games and competed at the

. He competed again at the

in 2009 and 2010, in the latter year he also won the championship at 120 kg of the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

. In

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

he became the first Canadian wrestler with South Asian ethnicity to represent the National Freestyle Wrestling Team at the Summer Olympics. He ended up placing 13th.

Coaching

Bhullar was one of the founding coaches of the

UFV Cascades The UFV Cascades are the athletic teams that represent the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, British Columbia and currently compete in the Canada West conference of U Sports. The Cascades field varsity teams in basketball, golf, soc ...

wrestling team at

. He is also a member of his family's training center; Bhullar Wrestling Club.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In August 2014, Bhullar had his first amateur fight as a mixed martial artist. He turned pro in November of that year fighting with the Battlefield Fight League. Over the next few years, Bhullar competed exclusively in his native Canada and remained undefeated with a record of six wins. Arjan won the vacant BFL Heavyweight Title with a victory over Blake Nash on October 17, 2015. He has defended the title twice.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In May 2017, Bhullar signed with the

becoming the first fighter of

Indo-Canadian Indian Canadians are Canadians who have ancestry from India. The terms ''Indo-Canadian'' or ''East Indian'' are sometimes used to avoid confusion with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Categorically, Indian Canadians comprise a subgroup of ...

descent to sign with the company. Bhullar made his promotional debut at

UFC 215 ''UFC 215: Nunes vs. Shevchenko 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 9, 2017 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Background The promotion was initially planning a PPV even ...

on September 9, 2017, against Luis Henrique. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Bhullar's next fight was against

Adam Wieczorek Adam Wieczorek (born February 5, 1992) is a Polish mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early ...

on April 14, 2018, at

UFC on Fox 29 ''UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC on FOX 29'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 14, 2018, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Background After pr ...

. After controlling the first round with his wrestling, Bhullar would eventually get caught with an omoplata early in the second round, officially losing the fight via submission at 1:59 of round 2. For his third fight with the promotion, Bhullar faced

Marcelo Golm Marcelo Golm (born 15 September 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Bellator MMA. He has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 22, 2022, he is #7 in the ...

on October 27, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 138 ''UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 138'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on October 27, 2018 at Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Bhullar next faced

Juan Adams Juan Alejandro Arcienego-Adams (born January 16, 1992) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and currently competes in the heavyweight division of the PFL. Adams formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Backgroun ...

on May 4, 2019, at

UFC Fight Night 151 ''UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 151'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 9'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on May 4, 2019 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontari ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. The fight marked the last fight of his prevailing contract with the UFC.

ONE Championship

On July 3, 2019, it was announced that Bhullar signed a deal with Asia-based MMA promotion

, and was expected to make his promotional debut against Mauro Cerilli at ONE Championship: Dawn of Heroes on August 2, 2019. However, Cerilli pulled out of the bout due to staph infection and the fight was cancelled. The fight eventually took place at ONE Championship: Century on October 13, 2019, with Bhullar winning by unanimous decision.

ONE Championship Heavyweight Championship

On February 1, 2020, it was announced that Bhullar would be challenging Brandon Vera for the ONE Heavyweight World Championship at ONE Championship: Code of Honor on May 29, 2020, but the duel was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The bout was rebooked to take place at ONE Championship: Dangal on May 15, 2021. He defeated Vera via second-round technical knockout to win the ONE Heavyweight World Championship, becoming the first fighter of Indian descent to win an MMA world title. After a contract dispute, Bhullar eventually signed a new contract with the organization and is expected to defend his belt in a unification bout in the summer of 2022. Bhullar is scheduled to face interim champion Anatoliy Malykhin for the ONE Heavyweight World Championship unification bout at

ONE 161 ''ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai'' was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on September 29, 2022 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background The event was originally expected to be head ...

on September 29, 2022. However, Bhullar withdraw due to suffering an injury in training, It was announced that Bhullar had surgery on the arm two weeks ago and the bout was cancelled.

Personal life

Bhullar is of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Punjabi Sikh descent. Through his MMA career, Bhullar has developed a friendship with pro-wrestler, former WWE champion and fellow

Jinder Mahal Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (born July 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Jinder Mahal. Having started his career on the independent circuit, Mahal joine ...

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

** ONE Heavyweight World Championship (one time, current) *Battlefield Fight League **BFL Heavyweight Championship (one time)

Freestyle wrestling

United World Wrestling United World Wrestling (UWW) is the international governing body for the sport of amateur wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the Olympics. It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrestling, including ...

** 2012 Germany Grand Prix Gold Medalist ** 2012 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament Gold Medalist **

Gold Medalist **

Bronze Medalist ** 2006 World University Championships Bronze Medalist ** 2005 World Junior Championships - 5th place ** 2004 Pan American Championships Gold Medalist * Wrestling Canada Lutte ** 2012 Canadian Olympic Team Member ** 2012 Canadian Senior National Champion ** 2011 Canadian Senior World Team Member ** 2011 Canadian Senior National Champion ** 2010 Canadian Senior World Team Member ** 2010 Canadian Senior National Champion ** 2009 Canadian Senior Wrestler of the Year ** 2009 Canadian Senior World Team Member ** 2009 Canadian Senior National Champion ** 2008 Canadian Senior National Champion ** 2007 Canadian Senior World Team Member ** 2006 Canadian Junior National Champion ** 2006 Canadian Junior World Team Member ** 2005 Canadian Junior National Champion ** 2005 Canadian Junior World Team Member

Collegiate wrestling

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

** NAIA Outstanding Wrestler (2009) ** NAIA 285 lb National Champion out of

(2009) ** NAIA 285 lb National Champion out of

(2008) ** NAIA 285 lb National 3rd Place out of

(2007) *

Canadian Interuniversity Sport U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Ca ...

CIS Cis or cis- may refer to: Places * Cis, Trentino, in Italy * In Poland: ** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central ** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north Math, science and biology * cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...

130 kg National Champion out of

(2009)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Brandon Vera , TKO (punches) , ONE: Dangal , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:27 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Mauro Cerilli , Decision (unanimous) , ONE: Century Part 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Submission (omoplata) , UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:59 , Glendale, Arizona, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Luis Henrique , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anch ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Joe Yager , Decision (unanimous) , Battlefield Fight League 48 , April 29, 2017 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Coquitlam, British Columbia Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Chris Catala , TKO (punches) , Hard Knocks 51 , October 14, 2016 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:29 ,

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Ryan Pokryfky , Decision (unanimous) , Battlefield Fight League 45 , September 17, 2016 , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Blake Nash , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Battlefield Fight League 39 , October 17, 2015 , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Jon-Taine Hall , Decision (unanimous) , Hard Knocks 44 , June 28, 2015 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Adam Santos , TKO (punches) , Battlefield Fight League 33 , November 7, 2014 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:22 ,

, Canada ,

References

External links

* *
Wrestling Canada profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhullar, Arjan 1986 births Living people Canadian Sikhs Canadian male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Canadian people of Indian descent Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada Wrestlers at the 2007 Pan American Games Wrestlers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Wrestlers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic wrestlers of Canada People from Richmond, British Columbia Sportspeople from British Columbia Canadian male sport wrestlers Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Commonwealth Games medallists in wrestling Pan American Games medalists in wrestling Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games ONE Championship champions