ONE Championship: Arjan Bhullar TKOs Brandon Vera to become India’s first MMA world champ
- ‘Singh’ finishes ‘The Truth’ in second-round of ONE: Dangal main event in Singapore
- Bhullar calls out South Korea’s Kang Ji-won for first title defence, as Vera vows to regain belt
Arjan Bhullar became just the second ONE Championship heavyweight king with a second-round TKO of Brandon Vera in Singapore.
“Singh” also gave India its first world title in MMA with victory in the main event of the ONE: Dangal event, which was pre-recorded on April 29 and broadcast on Saturday.
The 35-year-old former UFC star (11-1) caught “The Truth” (16-9) with a couple of shots in the first round, and used his wrestling to pin him down on the ground against the fence in the second and finish the fight with ground and pound.
“India, we got one now, your first world champion baby, let’s go,” said Bhullar, who was born to Indian parents in Canada, whom he competed for in freestyle wrestling at the 2012 Olympics, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and at four world championships.
“We were gonna box him, up, get him in that range, wrestle him, break him. Just patience, I knew I was gonna hurt him, my coaches knew. I’m well trained, I’ve been with the best since day one.
“I came in the lightest I’ve ever been. We were ready to go five rounds with that, I did not believe he had five rounds to go up against me, no way.”