Arjan Bhullar is eager to get back into the ring for two primary reasons: first, to demonstrate that he is the legitimate heavyweight king, and second, to put his time away from fighting to rest.
On June 23, the wrestler who won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games will unify his world title by competing against the interim champion Anatoly Malykhin. Their fight is scheduled to be the main event for the international section of ONE Friday Fights 22.
His reign as ONE Heavyweight World Champion has been marred by a number of setbacks, including injuries and prolonged discussions for a new contract.
In spite of all of that chaos, he is overjoyed to finally get back into the ring at the illustrious Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Before making his third promotional appearance, the 37-year-old athlete talked about the first injury he suffered, which was the beginning of a string of ailments that kept him out of play for more than two years.
According to what Arjan Bhullar said, MMA Underground:
“Just as we were about to get scheduled, I suffered an injury, and I had to undergo my very first operation. Therefore, I was required to wait it out, and once more, I was fine to go; I had doctors clear me for play after the operation. They decided to use the whole six months, even though they have the ability to extend it for injuries, and now here we are, two years later.
You can watch the entire interview by clicking here:
Despite this, Malykhin was able to collect a string of victories while he was away, which led to his being given the opportunity to challenge Kirill Grishenko for the interim heavyweight world title at ONE: Bad Blood in the previous year.
He won the title at 26 pounds with a devastating knockout, and then a few months later, he went down to the light heavyweight division and won the world championship there.
As a result, the Russian Hulk comes into this competition with a strong advantage over the other competitors. However, Arjan Bhullar is all set to put an end to the hype train that surrounds the Golden Team hero, and he is prepared to do so.
On June 23, you’ll be able to watch them in action at ONE Friday Fights 22, which will be streamed live and for free on the official YouTube channel of ONE Championship.
