Arjan Bhullar’s Impressive Run To The ONE Heavyweight World Title

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It's been over two years since we last saw ONE Heavyweight World Champion Arjan Bhullar inside the Circle, but his meteoric ascension to the peak of the heavyweight helm cannot be overlooked.

The Canadian-Indian will return following a lengthy hiatus to unify belts against ONE Interim Heavyweight World Champion Anatoly Malykhin at ONE Friday Fights 22 on Friday, 23 June, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Along with contractual negotiations and a litany of injuries, "Singh's" absence in ONE Championship has sorely been felt upon the division, but as his return nears, let's look back at his meteoric rise to the throne.

When Bhullar's signature was inked, there was plenty of excitement surrounding his debut. The 36-year-old was riding high on a two-fight winning streak as he entered the promotion, and he looked to pick up where he had left off.

Bhullar's account opener came at ONE: CENTURY II in October 2019 when he collided with Italy's Mauro Cerilli. The future king found himself cruising through the contest to extend his winning streak as he picked up a unanimous decision against the Italian titan.

The win skyrocketed him up the rankings, and as a result, Bhullar found himself on the brink of heavyweight glory. But that surge of momentum had to be placed on hold when the coronavirus pandemic came in 2020, delaying any chance of competition for Bhullar until further notice.

Having bided his time patiently, May 2021 soon arrived and the clubbing Canadian's opportunity came to fruition when he met then-ONE Heavyweight World Champion and MMA legend Brandon "The Truth" Vera at ONE: DANGAL.

Vera was unbeaten throughout his heavyweight tenure, having won all four of his bouts by first-round knockout. That was until Bhullar came along. Bhullar proved to be the younger, faster, better battler of the two, while also becoming the first opponent to escape the opening round with Vera at heavyweight.

"Singh" utilised his freestyle wrestling expertise on Vera throughout the contest, which over time began to drain "The Truth's" cardio. In round two, Bhullar returned to the formula that worked for him. With 35 seconds left in the second frame, Bhullar's onslaught proved too much for Vera to handle.

With gold over his shoulder, Bhullar had never looked so good as India's first-ever MMA World Champion. Almost two years on from that performance, the king's first defense will prove to be his toughest one of all when he meets the seemingly unstoppable freight train that is Malykhin next week.

If Bhullar can return emphatically and stop the irresistible "Sladkiy" in his tracks, then all doubts surrounding his absence will surely be removed and all the critics will be silenced.