Arjan Singh Bhullar (born May 13, 1986) is a Canadian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

currently competing in the

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division of

ONE Championship ONE Championship, formerly ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) until January 2015, is a Multinational corporation, multinational combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion founded on 14 July 2011 by Chatri Sityodtong and Victor Cui. Origi ...

, where he is the former 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) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

. Bhullar is also a former

freestyle wrestler Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

and collegiate wrestler. In freestyle, he was a CIS national champion in 2009 and represented Canada at the

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

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 ...

, the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth that was held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 201 ...

, the

2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Rio 2007, were a major Americas, continental multi-sport event that took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 13 to 29, 2007. A total of ...

and the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. In folkstyle, Bhullar is a two-time NAIA champion.

Wrestling career

Early life and collegiate wrestling

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 List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

. 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), which is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The Red Leafs are members of NCAA Division II and are the only Ca ...

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

, 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 nation ...

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.

Freestyle career

For five years, Bhullar was a member of the Canadian national team and was also the 120 kg national champion from 2008 to 2012. In 2006, Bhullar placed third at the World University Championships. In

, he won a bronze medal at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

and competed at the

. He competed again at the

and

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

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

. In

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, he became the first Canadian wrestler with South Asian ethnicity to represent Canada at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

. He placed 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, Abbotsford, British Columbia and currently compete in the Canada West Universities Athletic Association, Canada West confe ...

wrestling team at

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 public university with campuses in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, British Columbi ...

. 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 defended the title twice.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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 on April 14, 2018, at UFC on Fox 29. After controlling the first round with his wrestling, Bhullar would get caught with an omoplata early in the second round, officially losing the fight via submission in round 2. For his third fight with the promotion, Bhullar faced Marcelo Golm on October 27, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 138. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Bhullar next faced Juan Adams on May 4, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 151. 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 Heavyweight World Champion

On February 1, 2020, it was announced that Bhullar would be challenging

Brandon Vera Brandon Michael Vera (born October 10, 1977), or also known by his ring name as The Truth, is a Filipino and American retired mixed martial artist where he was the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Champion and the 2005 WEC Heavyweight Grand Prix Champ ...

for the ONE Heavyweight World Championship at ONE Championship: Code of Honor on May 29, 2020, but the fight was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. 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 Canadian/Indian descent to win an MMA world title. After a contract dispute, Bhullar eventually signed a new contract with the organization and was scheduled to face interim champion Anatoly 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 withdrew due to an injury in training, It was announced that Bhullar had surgery on the arm two weeks prior and the bout was cancelled. The bout was rescheduled for March 25, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 8. In turn, the bout was removed from the event due to a shift in broadcaster commitments and the bout will be rescheduled again to a later date. The bout was scheduled on July 15, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 12. However, for unknown reasons, the bout was moved to ONE Friday Fights 22 on June 22. Bhullar lost the bout and the title via TKO in the third round.

Post championship

Bhullar faced Amir Aliakbari on March 1, 2024, at

ONE 166 ''ONE 166: Qatar'' was a combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on March 1, 2024, at Lusail Sports Arena in Lusail, Qatar. Background This event marked the organization's debut in Qatar. It also the second visit to ...

. He lost the fight via disqualification due to timidity in round three.

Personal life

Bhullar is of Indian Punjabi

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

descent. Through his MMA career, Bhullar has developed a friendship with fellow Indo-Canadian and former

WWE champion The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand ...

Jinder Mahal.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

** ONE Heavyweight World Championship (one time) *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 Wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the World Championships and Olympics. It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrest ...

** 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 *

Canadian Interuniversity Sport U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...

** CIS 130 kg National Champion out of

(2009)

Collegiate wrestling

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

** 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)

Mixed martial arts record

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Lusail Lusail (, , ) is the second-largest city in Qatar after Doha, and the economic capital of Qatar, located on the coast, in the southern part of the municipality of Al Daayen. Lusail lies about north of the Doha city centre, just north of the West ...

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Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

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Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...

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

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Juan Adams , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Iaquinta vs. Cowboy , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

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Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because ...

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Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Located about nine miles northwest of the state capital Phoenix, Glendale is known for State Farm Stadium, which is the home of the Arizona Cardinals football team. The city al ...

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

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Joe Yager , Decision (unanimous) , Battlefield Fight League 48 , , 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 an estimated population of 174,248 in 2024, and one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metr ...

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

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

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, Canada ,

References

External links

* *
Wrestling Canada profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhullar, Arjan 1986 births Living people Canadian Sikhs Canadian male mixed martial artists Indian male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Canadian sportspeople of Indian descent Canadian people of Punjabi 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 for Canada Sportspeople from Richmond, British Columbia Canadian male sport wrestlers Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Commonwealth Games gold medallists in wrestling Pan American Games bronze medalists in wrestling Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games ONE Championship champions Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games University of the Fraser Valley people ONE Championship mixed martial artists Simon Fraser Red Leafs men's wrestlers Simon Fraser University alumni 21st-century Canadian sportsmen