Arjan Bhullar finally has a fight booked. The Canadian heavyweight missed out on a title shot last year due to Covid-19 related cancellations but it looks like he will be back in action soon.
Bhullar took to Instagram to share a photo of him signing a fight contract:
View this post on Instagram
He was booked to fight Brandon Vera at ONE: ‘Code of Honor’ last May. That event was supposed to take place in Manila but was cancelled due to Covid-19 and the likes of Christian Lee and Eddie Alvarez were also booked to compete.
Lee and Alvarez are both set to compete at ONE on TNT which is set for April 7th. It is possible a heavyweight fight between Bullar and Vera could be added to that card.
But if the 34 year old, who has a 10-1 record, is not handed an immediate title shot there will be no shortage of potential opponents. Mauro Cerilli, who he narrowly beat at ONE: ‘Century’, is back to winning ways and wants a rematch.
New additions to the roster at heavyweight include Amir Aliakbari, Dustin Joynson, Tom deBlass, Kang Ji Won and Anatoly Malykhin. The division is looking much deeper than it did when Bullar signed in 2019.
Aliakbari’s long awaited promotional debut is set for ONE: ‘Fists of Fury’ Part II which will be broadcast on March 5th. He faces Kang Ji Won who is coming off a successful debut of his own at ONE: ‘Unbreakable’ Part III.
Two heavyweight newcomers have come up short in recent weeks. Russia’s Abdulbasir Vagabov was stopped in the second round by Cerilli at ONE: ‘Unbreakable’ Part II, while Iranian Mehdi Barghi was finished in the first by Won at ONE: ‘Unbreakable’ Part III.
It means the heavyweight landscape has changed beyond all recognition since Bhullar’s last fight in 2019. One thing that has not changed is the status of Vera as champion, even though the 43 year old hasn’t defended the title in over two years.
It will be interesting to see whether Bhullar is set for a title shot, or has been matched with another top contender. But whatever happens we are likely to see ‘Singh’ back in the ONE Championship circle in the coming weeks.
