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ONE Championship Dangal: How Arjan Bhullar became first Indian-origin MMA champion

Arjan "Singh" Bhullar dethroned longtime heavyweight king Brandon "The Truth" Vera to capture the ONE Heavyweight World Title and become the first Indian-origin Mixed Martial Arts World Champion in history.

ONE Dangal: How Arjan Bhullar became first Indian-origin MMA champion (Image Courtesy: Arjan Bhullar Twitter)

Bengaluru, May 16: Arjan "Singh" Bhullar dethroned longtime heavyweight king Brandon "The Truth" Vera to capture the ONE Heavyweight World Title and become the first Indian-origin Mixed Martial Arts World Champion in history when ONE Championship returned Saturday (May 15) with ONE: DANGAL, a tape-delayed event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The event also featured two other Indians and one more Indian-origin Canadian in action as Ritu Phogat competed in her fifth MMA bout and Roshan Mainam also fought in his fifth bout in the promotion.

In the main event, Bhullar cautiously approached Vera in the first round, looking to string together combinations to set up a takedown. The Indian star stifled Vera with feints and strikes, freezing the Filipino-American on his feet and making him hesitant to engage. Bhullar took Vera down toward the end of the opening frame and controlled him on the mat.

In the second round, Bhullar capitalized on his feints by catching "The Truth" with an overhand right that sent him reeling toward the Circle Wall. A few more right hands compounded the damage, and a debilitating body shot had Vera gasping for air.

Arjan Bhullar: Know more about the first Indian-origin fighter to win a MMA world titleArjan Bhullar: Know more about the first Indian-origin fighter to win a MMA world title

Once "Singh" was able to close the distance and latch onto the defending World Champion with a body lock, it signalled the beginning of the end. Bhullar brought Vera to the mat and pounded him out for the technical knockout victory.

In a women's atomweight contest, perennial contender Bi "Killer Bee" Nguyen took home a hard-earned victory over Indian wrestling superstar Ritu, winning by razor-thin split decision after three close rounds.

Meanwhile, Indian-origin Candian Gurdarshan "Saint Lion" Mangat overcame a spirited effort from the rising Indian star Mainam to win by unanimous decision.

Story first published: Thursday, August 12, 2021, 13:30 [IST]
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