MMA News: Former UFC fighter Arjan Bhullar's ONE Championship debut scrapped

Arjan Singh Bhullar
Arjan Singh Bhullar

What's the story?

Former UFC Heavyweight fighter, Arjan Singh Bhullar was about to make his debut in ONE Championship tonight. Now, it appears that Arjan Bhullar will have to wait a while longer as his fight has been pulled from the ONE FC card in Manila.

The reason for his fight being scrapped has been revealed to be an unfortunate infection that his opponent, Mauro Cerilli, is suffering from.

In case you didn't know...

Arjan Singh Bhullar signed with ONE Championship after a four-fight run with the UFC, where he had a 3-1 record. When his contract with UFC came to an end, Bhullar decided to try his luck as a free agent.

He decided to test his worth on the open MMA market by joining the ONE Championship fight roster.

The heart of the matter

Arjan Bhullar made the announcement on Twitter that his fight was scrapped as his opponent Mauro Cerilli had been diagnosed with a staph infection.

Bhullar went on to state that he was very disappointed.

"I'm very disappointed not to be able to put on a show for all of my fans and loved ones. Was extremely well prepared for this fight and can't thank my team enough for their sacrifices during preparation. The coaches/sparring partners/therapists/specialists etc. It takes an amazing team of people to get me to this point and I will always be grateful to have them in my life."
"Lastly, I'd like to thank the team at @onechampionship (ONE Championship) for their unbelievable support this week. Every member of the company has been extremely respectful and supportive through this ordeal. My first experience going through fight week with them couldn't have gone better. I can't wait to debut in the near future."

ONE FC officials also confirmed that the MMA fight had been cancelled.

What's next?

Unfortunately for Bhullar, it appears he will have to wait to find out his value in the market as his ONE Championship debut now has to be postponed. His fight for Friday has been scrapped and given the last minute nature of the decision, there has been no time for him to find an alternate opponent.

Meanwhile, ONE Championship will go on ahead as it will feature two former UFC Champions. Eddie Alvarez will be facing Eduard Folayang while 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson will face Tatsumitu Wada.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to know more about Arjan Bhullar's MMA journey, click here. I had the opportunity to interview him a couple of months back.

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Edited by Shiven Sachdeva