Arjan “Singh” Bhullar has had his eyes on the ONE Heavyweight World Title since joining ONE Championship in 2019.

Come 15 May, he’ll finally get his shot to claim the gold.

Bhullar is set to face reigning heavyweight king Brandon “The Truth” Vera in the main event of ONE: DANGAL, where the latter will try to protect his World Title from the dangerous Indian.

“I’m very excited for this title fight. It was long overdue. We were supposed to fight over a year ago, (but) due to the pandemic, it got canceled once and then got canceled again near the end of last year,” Bhullar says.

“Third time's a charm. This fight was inevitable. Me winning this title is inevitable. Indian MMA blowing up is inevitable.”

That’s because if “Singh” wins, he’ll become the first-ever Indian Mixed Martial Arts World Champion. With that prestigious status on the line, he’s been preparing religiously to battle the man who’s been unbeatable since capturing ONE’s inaugural heavyweight belt in 2014.

“It’s been a long, long year away from competition. But I’ve been training all the whole time,” Bhullar says.

“I’ve been training specifically for Brandon Vera for over a year now. I’m excited to get back in there to compete. That’s the part that I enjoy the most. Training sessions are cool and fun, but competition is the best when all the lights are on, and all eyes are on me.” 

Bhullar knows, however, that toppling the heavyweight icon won’t be easy, especially with the versatile skill set that Vera brings to the Circle.

“He is older, but he’s undefeated as a Heavyweight Champion in ONE,” Bhullar adds.

“He’s been a champ for five, six years – for a very long time now. He’s stopped every one of his opponents. So, he’s very dangerous, very experienced, dangerous everywhere.

“His kicks, his knees, his elbows, [he’s] good off his back. He’s been in the game a long, long time, and you must be ready to go in all places [against Vera].” 

Bhullar will be ready to contest the match wherever it goes. But if you ask him, it won’t be physical attributes alone that carry him to victory.

“My greatest strength is my insight that allows me to train daily, weekly, yearly. I stay disciplined all the time, not just when I have a fight booked or I have a competition coming up. I keep my eye on the prize,” he says.  

“This is my life, my priority, and my life’s work. And I take it very, very seriously. To have the best version of myself, there is nothing more important to me in my life and no other priority.

“Skills are great, being faster, stronger, all those things –sure. But when you have a war of attrition, it’s the insights that always come out, and that’s going to be the difference in this fight.” 

Catch all the action from the previously recorded ONE: DANGAL on the ONE Super App at 6 p.m. on 15 May.

Read More From ONE Championship:

Vera Motivated To Extend Dominant Heavyweight Reign Against Bhullar

Bhullar Plans To Knock Out Vera, Ignite India’s MMA Movement

Vera Vs. Bhullar World Title Fight Headlines ONE: DANGAL On 15 May