“I’m picking her, all day” - Indian MMA world champion Arjan Bhullar backs Ritu Phogat to beat Stamp Fairtex in Grand Prix final

Arjan Bhullar is picking Ritu ‘The Indian Tigress’ Phogat to beat Stamp Fairtex when the two atomweights meet in the Circle this week.

Phogat and Stamp are set to square off in the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Grand Prix Championship Final at ONE: Winter Warriors, which broadcasts live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday, December 3.

Arjan Bhullar has been a witness to Phogat’s growth as a professional MMA fighter since she transitioned to the cage in 2019. The 35-year-old is no doubt impressed by what his compatriot has accomplished so far.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Arjan Bhullar shared her thoughts on Phogat’s next fight and her rise through the ranks.

“She has really come into her own as a fighter. It’s been great to see her development each fight, fight by fight. She’s always had the wrestling, she’s always had the toughness and the grit to show that she has some striking earlier on as well. And then it was a question of blending it all together to be an MMA fighter. I think she has shown that she has gotten better in that aspect too. I’m really excited to see which version of Ritu comes out in this fight.

“I do have a prediction and I do think Ritu [Phogat] pulls it off. I think [that] although she’s green in MMA or not as experienced, she’s been competing her entire life and she will take the fight where it needs to go in order to win. She’s tough as nails, she’s well trained and I think she’s ready for the moment. I’m picking her, all day,” added Arjan Bhullar.

The winner of the Grand Prix will go on to face Angela Lee for the ONE Women’s Atomweight world title sometime in 2022.

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Arjan Bhullar stresses the importance of striking skills as a wrestler

Arjan Bhullar, an Indian wrestling champion, has reached great heights in his career on the mats.

The former Commonwealth Games wrestling gold medalist says he would not be as successful as he is today as a mixed martial artist if he didn’t learn how to use his hands to strike.

This skill, coupled with his unparalleled grappling ability, has made Arjan Bhullar one of the most dangerous heavyweight fighters in the world. Speaking about the importance of striking, ‘Singh’ said:

“It’s very important to know how to strike. Every fight starts standing when you’re striking. You can’t just dive in, those days are gone and even when you dive in on takedowns now, people know how to wrestle, wrestlers are very well rounded. You have to adjust your takedowns for MMA takedowns because there are submissions that you can get caught in so it’s a completely different game, this is a different sport. But it’s something that you have to be good at as striking usually makes or breaks the grapplers. You can get the jiu-jitsu, that’s very close to wrestling but can you strike? And can you learn to defend and get hit and not mind when you get hit? All those things."