Arjan Singh Bhullar says ‘kushti’ wrestling helped prep him for MMA

Undefeated UFC heavyweight Arjan Singh Bhullar spoke about his upcoming fight with Adam Wieczorek and how his Sikh heritage has prepared him for the life of a combat athlete.

Undefeated heavyweight Arjan Singh Bhullar (7-0) makes his second UFC appearance this weekend at UFC on FOX 29: Poirier vs. Gaethje in Glendale, AZ. In his UFC debut, last July, he bested Luis Henrique via unanimous decision.

“There’s always room to improve,” said Bhullar to Bloody Elbow regarding his smothering win over Henrique. “Even if we get a first minute knockout, you can improve by knocking him out in the first thirty seconds. That’s our approach. We’re always getting better, always adding to our tool belt.”

Bhullar – who wrestled for Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games in London – said he was especially pleased that, in his debut fight, he displayed that there’s more to his game than wrestling.

“In that fight, we showed that we have power in the hands,” he said. “And that we can stand and be comfortable and hurt guys there and go fifteen minutes on the feet. People were obviously expecting the wrestling aspect, but I don’t think they expected that aspect. But our striking is on par and I also wrestled him up and showed that we have take downs and that pedigree as well.”

The Vancouver-based fighter added that he didn’t feel the so-called ‘UFC jitters’ during his debut. Part of this, he said, was because his UFC debut was not unexpected and not his ultimate goal.

“It was a part of the plan, it wasn’t something that came out of left field. It was something earned. It was something planned for, when I made the transition [from wrestling to MMA], and it was vindication that we’re doing all the right things on the regional circuit, in terms of our development. The thing is, it was never our goal to get signed. People get signed all the time. The goal is to put me in a position to fight for the title and become a world champion.”

Meeting Bhullar in Glendale is fellow UFC sophomore Adam Wieczorek (9-1); who debuted in a win over Anthony Hamilton in Australia last November.

“It’s a great match up on our end,” said Bhullar. “He’s tall, he’s rangy, he’s 6’ 5”. He’s been in there once, just like me, so our experience level is about the same in MMA. But I’ve been competing for a long time at a world class level and I think that’s going to be the difference here. I’ve seen these guys, with his body type, on the world stage many many times ... I don’t want to show too many of my cards, but we have guys with the exact same body type and better skill sets and any time you can have that for weeks ahead of time to get ready, you’re going to have an advantage. He does not have anyone on his end in Poland who can give him the look I’m going to give him.”

Bhullar, whose wife gave birth to a baby girl a few months ago, spent his training camp close to home in Vancouver. Bhullar has trained at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose in the past and mentioned that he would likely head to AKA to prepare for his next fight.

While training at home, Bhullar has been able to continue with methods many fighters won’t see in most gyms in North America. Thanks to his Punjabi roots, Bhullar has long trained in the Indian wrestling art of kushti. Throughout his wrestling and MMA career Bhullar has implemented strength and conditioning techniques from kushti, along with some technical aspects drawn from that style of grappling.

Kushti, or Pehlwani, is a form of wrestling that is popular throughout South Asia which has been practiced since at least 5,000 BC. Kushti, which is known for it’s rigorous training and dieting regimens, remains incredibly popular in rural India. Modern kushti tournaments take place on dirt floors sprinkled with buttermilk, oil, and red ochre which are then watered to give wrestlers a soft, but not spongy, surface to compete on. Kushti bouts do not have rounds or points. A match is won by pinning your opponents hips and shoulders to the ground. Wins by knockout, submission, and technical stoppages are possible, but not very frequent.

“I did [kushti] myself and my father did it before then,” said Bhullar. “You come from a village in India, everyone does that. There’s a long lineage within Indian culture of people doing kushti training and wrestling, so it’s one of those things that I’ve competed in and I’ve drawn from. It’s something that excites me for the future and the potential for MMA in India. That wrestling base and that history is something to draw from to turn champion wrestlers into champion fighters, which is something the US system has really benefited from. And I think people will really take to the sport because of that, too.”

But bringing kushti discipline and techniques to the UFC is just one part of Bhullar’s attempt to introduce his Indian – and more specifically Sikh – heritage to the world’s largest MMA promotion. After some discussion Bhullar has been permitted to wear a turban, an incredibly significant symbol of Sikhism, on his walk to the Octagon in Glendale.

For Bhullar it’s important to bring visibility to his culture on the world stage and not just because he believes MMA is something a billion Indians might enjoy if given enough exposure to it. A major reason for Bhullar’s belief that Sikhs and MMA are a perfect match is because of the warrior culture that exists within Sikhism.

“Sikhs have, throughout our history, stood and fought for what was right; for equality, for freedom. It doesn’t matter what gender, what caste, it doesn’t matter who, we stood and fought for what is right and that helped develop this warrior lineage.” claimed Bhullar. “Also, geographically, we’re in northern India. Any type of invading armies that wanted to conquer India came through the north and were met by the Sikhs. So yes, generation to generation, we have the heart of warriors.”

Bhullar is proud and eager to represent Sikhism, and Sikh warrior credentials, in any fight he has in the UFC. But on April 14th, this will be of special significance. “April 14th is very unique,” he explained. “It is the holiday of Vaisakhi, which is celebrated all over the world for Sikhs because this is a very very critical and important holiday.”

Vaisakhi is recognized by Sikhs as the birth of the Khalsa; which is a way of living devised by one of the religions most important figures, Guru Gobind Singh, in 1699.

The Khalsa (Punjabi for ‘the pure’) is the name given to individuals who have been initiated as Sikh warriors. Initiation rites of the Khalsa include accepting a code on conduct and a dress code, which includes wearing a steel bracelet and a sword known as a kirpan at all times (though most Sikhs today wear representations of the kirpan, such as a pendant or a small holstered knife).

Photo by Don MacKinnon/Getty Images

Another part of Guru Gobind Singh’s Khalsa initiation was the giving of ‘Singh’ as a middle name to all initiated male Sikhs and ‘Kaur’ as a middle name to all initiated female Sikhs.

“April 14th was the date that middle name, Singh, was given to us. All the men, Kaur for all the women. That is unique for us compared to any other person on this planet. We are all connected because of that and, even more, I am connected to the people throughout our history; generations before me, because of that.”

Bhullar said getting to fight on this holy day for Sikhs (and especially Sikh warriors) will be a ‘beautiful experience’: “It’s all coming together for that April 14th fight. It’s a holiday, my lineage, everything wrapped into one. I’m excited to be able to tell that story through this fight and through that platform.”

You can watch Arjan Singh Bhullar vs. Adam Wieczorek this Vaisakhi on the early prelim card of UFC on FOX 29: Poirier vs. Gaethje. The action begins at 3:30pm ET on UFC Fight Pass.