Bhullar ready to make history
UFC: Decorated Richmond-born fighter enters the Octagon for first time Saturday
Arjan Bhullar’s first foray into the UFC Octagon is just a few days away and the Richmond native couldn’t be happier, but not entirely for the reasons you might be thinking.
“I’m at the point now where I’m getting sick of training and I just want to go out there and do my thing,” said Bhullar last week before departing for Edmonton, where he takes on fellow heavyweight Luis Henrique on the preliminary card of Saturday’s pay-per-view event at Rogers Place. “The fact that I am feeling that means I’m right on track. That’s generally how the process goes for me and that lets me know that I’ve pushed hard enough and long enough and I derive confidence from that.”
The 31-year-old UFC newcomer has good reason to be confident, as he arrives on the biggest stage in the sport with an unblemished professional record and worldclass wrestling credentials in his back pocket. On top of that, Bhullar spent a portion of his training camp in San Jose, California, training with the all-star cast at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), including former champs Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier.
“Being down at AKA was great,” said Bhullar, who is 6-0 with three stoppage victories. “I started off my camp down there, D.C. was getting ready for the fight of his life with Jon Jones and that type of stuff rubs off on you.
“His approach, his professionalism, his preparation was a great addition to the camp and then I finished up here in Vancouver — brought in a couple guys to help get me on point and we’re peaking at the right time.”
From an athletic standpoint, this weekend’s arrival in the UFC is the next step in the progression for Bhullar, who was raised on the wrestling mats inside the family gym and excelled internationally, winning gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games before representing Canada in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
While he contemplated a move to professional wrestling, the gregarious heavyweight opted to step into the cage instead and has taken to mixed martial arts seamlessly.
But his debut in the Octagon also carries historic significance and impact beyond his own career as well, as Bhullar will be the first fighter of South Asian descent to compete in the UFC. It’s an opportunity he relishes and one he will share with another Indo-Canadian wrestler on Saturday, as WWE champion Jinder Mahal will accompany him to the cage.
While there is always pressure in being “the first” and representing an entire community, the affable UFC neophyte — who is all business inside the cage — happily embraces the opportunity in front of him.
“I’ve known Jinder since before I crossed over,” Bhullar said of the Calgary native who is in the midst of his first championship reign on the company’s Smackdown brand. “It’s exciting to do the cross-promotion with the WWE and with my friend, so everything is lining up and I’m just really excited to get out there, do my thing under the lights and enjoy the journey over these next few years.
“I don’t see it as pressure; this was a conscious decision,” he said of being a trailblazer and role model within his community and representing South Asians at the elite level in the MMA. “I knew coming into this sport, making that switch over, that I would be in this position, (so) I don’t take it as pressure at all. I embrace it and I’m happy I’m in this position and I’m right where I want to be to knock this thing out of the park.”
And even after competing around the globe, experience the exhilaration of winning gold in 2010 and being showered in the support of his family, friends and the South Asian community as a whole, Bhullar is still making sure to cherish every step on his current journey and soaking in everything that comes with his first UFC Fight Week experience.
“Your first time is always a little different from every other time, right?” he asked with a laugh. “Maybe your first and your last are the most special, so I’m going to fully enjoy the entire Fight Week.
“I’m just going to really make sure I take it in because that’s what life is about — you’re creating special experiences and memories and that’s all you’ve got when it’s all said and done, so I really want to absorb it all and take it in. “It’s going to be special; it really is.” E. Spencer Kyte covers MMA for The Sun and The Province. Follow him on social media: @spencerkyte.