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Ex-UFC heavyweight Arjan Bhullar explains why he signed with ONE Championship earlier this month.
Arjan Bhullar couldn’t refuse the offer he received from ONE Championship.
After a four-fight stint in the UFC, the heavyweight signed with the Asia-based promotion at the beginning of this month. Bhullar fought out his contract and tested free agency after a win over Juan Adams in May at UFC Ottawa. Bhullar went 3-1 in the UFC.
Bhullar said his decision to move to ONE came down to several things: money; ONE’s apparent plans to go to India; a greater chance of fighting for and winning title; a greater ability to build his brand in ONE; and staying more active there.
Ultimately, Bhullar said, the UFC — and other promotions, like Bellator — couldn’t match ONE’s “lucrative” offer.
“We’re allowed sponsorship, which they can’t match, financially they can’t match, and [ONE] has incentives in there that the UFC doesn’t pay their fighters,” Bhullar told Bloody Elbow. “My contract is very custom and very unique — it’s not your standard contract — and [the UFC] doesn’t create contracts like that.”
After his win over Adams, Bhullar expressed the importance of getting what he believed he was worth — whether that meant staying with the UFC or leaving for a different promotion. Bhullar said the ONE offer showed “tremendous value” and he is confident he accomplished what he set out to do.
“My value was significantly more than what the UFC was setting at,” Bhullar said of his deal with ONE.
“Just the way [ONE] went about it: telling me how much they want me, I met the whole team, I was flown out to Singapore — first class — with my wife, all that kind of stuff. It was a no-brainer for me.”
So, what’s the big lesson to learn from Bhullar?
“It’s a no-brainer to test free agency, in my opinion,” Bhullar said. “Whoever doesn’t, I think they’re foolish. The only way you’re gonna know your true value is to let the market decide. You can’t let your employer decide your value.”
Bhullar is scheduled to meet Mauro Cerilli on Aug. 2 in his ONE debut. With a win, Bhullar hopes to challenge heavyweight champion Brandon Vera, who is coming off a win over Cerilli, but Bhullar doesn’t want to look too far ahead.
Point is that Bhullar expects to stay much more active in ONE than the UFC.
“Two fights in a year isn’t going to get me anywhere,” Bhullar, who after his September 2017 UFC debut fought twice in 2018 and once in 2019 (so far), said. “It’s not going to get me paid, and it’s not going to get my career going to the title like I want. It’s not going to get me closer to my end goal of being a world champion and creating a legacy. Two fights a year is just not something I was happy with.”
More than anything, Bhullar is excited for ONE to go to India. Bhullar, who has Indian roots and is of Sikh faith, said the promotion plans to host an event there next year, but ONE has yet to officially announce anything.
“They want me to spearhead that, I’ve been wanting to spearhead that, and the UFC has no plans to go to India,” Bhullar said. “I want to create a legacy in terms of what I’ve done for others in this sport, and a huge part of that is taking this sport to India. I’ve been very frustrated that there’s been no plans from the UFC on that.”
Bhullar expects ONE will do very well in the Indian market.
“It’s going to blow up,” he said. “It’s an English-speaking country, there’s no other sport to compete with. Cricket is saturated out, but that’s the only sport. There’s a huge wrestling and boxing history of success (in the Olympics).”
Bhullar said it was evident the UFC had no plans to host a show in India because otherwise, it would have put more of its marketing power behind him. Bhullar, who said he left the UFC on good terms, ultimately feels more valued in ONE.
“The way the UFC works, they’re going to treat the guys who earn them the most money, they’re gonna handle them the best. And I got that,” Bhullar said.
“If they were going to India, my offer (from the UFC) would be significantly more, the way I’m handled and promoted would be significantly different. Everything would be different. The fact that they’re not looking to crack that market, I’m just another guy to them.”