Bhullar won’t settle for just average
UFC: Richmond-born former Olympian heavyweight is ‘full steam ahead’ as he prepares to enter the cage
Don’t mistake Arjan Bhullar’s gregarious nature and focus on being a role model within his community as he embarks on his UFC journey as a sign that the former Olympian is satisfied with simply getting the opportunity to fight on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.
The Richmond native has been competing his entire life — first on the wrestling mats and most recently in the cage — and at no point along the way has the affable undefeated heavyweight been content with just being average.
“It’s one thing getting signed and another thing is getting to the top of the mountain,” said Bhullar, who signed with the UFC earlier this month. “And the way I approach it, I don’t want to just be a .500 fighter.
“For me, I’m approaching it like the Olympic tournament; I’m back in the tournament now,” he added, his smile quickly fading as he recalled his experience at the 2012 Summer Games in London.
“It was bittersweet for me at the Olympics — I wasn’t able to get that medal I dreamed about and worked toward my entire life, so for me, it’s still unfinished business to be a world champion.
“My family might be satisfied, but that fire still burns inside me and I’m back in the Olympic tournament and I’m going to work myself through the bracket to get that title.”
Thus far the transition from mat to the cage has been a seamless one for the 31-year-old Bhullar. He earned a unanimous decision victory in his lone amateur appearance and has rattled off six straight victories since turning pro, including winning and successfully defending the Battlefield Fight League (BFL) heavyweight title and most recently defeating veteran Joe Yager.
One of the first questions asked of Bhullar when he posted news of his signing with the UFC on social media was whether he would continue to compete at heavyweight or relocate to the 205-pound light heavyweight division, long considered the marquee division in the UFC and the current home of standout like Alexander Gustafsson, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.
Even BFL President Jay Golshani wasn’t sure competing in the same division as Stipe Miocic, Alistair Overeem or Francis Ngannou was the best choice for his promotion’s only heavyweight titleholder to date.
“He’s a little bit undersized for the UFC heavyweights,” Golshani said, speaking with Postmedia following Bhullar’s signing. “He’s 5-10, walks around at 220, 230 (pounds), so I kind of wish he would drop down to 205 because that would give him a better chance of succeeding because going against guys that are 6-4, 260 pounds is a huge task.”
“I’m six-feet!” Bhullar asserted with a grin and a laugh, straightening up to maximize his measurements. “I’ve been wrestling as a heavyweight my entire life against elite athletes around the world — much of them doped to the gills — so they’re not going to be stronger than me; I’m used to that.
“My strong suit is my movement, is my cardio and that type of thing, so the plan is to stay at heavyweight. We’ve had success there basically my entire life and I plan on running through the entire division in that regard. That being said, can I make the weight at light heavyweight? I believe I can. Will I do that? It remains to be seen. Maybe we win at both weight classes. Maybe at some point we drop down for a super fight and go for a second title.”
Ambitious as he may be, Bhullar is also acutely aware of the challenges that await him now that he’s graduated from the regional circuit to the most prestigious promotion in the sport, but he’s been preparing for this moment from the day he decided to make the transition into MMA.
And the local heavyweight standout trusts that the group he’s surrounded himself with to this point in his career will help him enjoy continued success at the UFC level.
“I train at AKA regularly — I’ve got family 15 minutes from the gym,” said Bhullar of the San Jose, California-based team that includes former champions Cain Velasquez and Luke Rockhold, as well as Cormier, a twotime Olympic wrestler and the current UFC light heavyweight champion who was unbeaten at heavyweight before departing the division.
“(They have the) best heavyweights in the world — (guys with a) wrestling background — so they know exactly what to do.
“Locally, I’ve got Jauncey Kickboxing; phenomenal standup guys. I’ve got my wrestling, so it’s a perfect mix here as well, locally. At this level of success, nothing happens by chance,” he added. “The window is only open for so long, so I’m full steam ahead to get in there, get that success and reach the top of the mountain.”