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Arjan Bhullar took out Brandon Vera to be crowned just the second ONE heavyweight champion since the promotion's 2011 start.
The Canadian-Indian arrived in ONE Championship in 2019 having gone 3-1 in the octagon. Currently riding a four-fight winning streak with a world title wrapped around his shoulder, Bhullar's stock has never been higher.
Now that he has the spotlight, the big man has called for his shot in pro wrestling.
Speaking exclusively to sportskeeda.com, Bhullar said:
"If it’s WWE I want Bobby Lashley and if it’s AEW I want Jake Hager. Because they’re both supposed to be tough guys – they’re both Bellator fighters. Lashley’s an ATT guy, their guys are Bellator guys and you know Coker’s not going to allow me to cross over like a heavyweight in terms of MMA so why not crossover in the squared circle and knock off one of his guys there? It gets ONE’s leg up on Bellator and gets my arm raised, gets me some gold. And just grows my ego."
Blending the worlds of mixed martial arts and pro wrestling is nothing new. Brock Lesnar famously made the switch from WWE to the UFC and back again. If Bhullar gets his wish to switch things up, it looks like he'll do so with the full blessing of his current employers:
"So far all the signs are pointing to ‘yes’ and that comes straight from the top in terms of Chatri," said Bhullar.
"It’s one of the things that sets ONE apart from other promotions around the world. If this thing goes through as he’s given us the green light to engage, it sets us apart. It allows our athletes to have flexibility, grow our brand, grow the brand of the company, everybody wins. We get to spread our wings," Bhullar added.
Bhullar on Junior dos Santos and ATT in pro wrestling
The appearance of MMA fighters on the pro wrestling circuit has arguably become more prominent in recent months. A key example is the recurring presence of Dan Lambert and his MMA fighters on AEW. Lambert is the main man on Florida's America's Top Team – home to many of the world's best MMA fighters.
The ATT boss appeared on the show with Andrei Arlovski, Junior dos Santos and Jorge Masvidal last weekend. Both Arlovski and dos Santos are former heavyweight champions in the UFC. Junior dos Santos is currently a free agent, and Bhullar says he'd welcome a clash with 'Cigano':
"Sign him up! ATT and JDS are linked forever," said Bhullar. "I wouldn’t mind giving him another beat down. Sign him up. Why not? The guy’s looking to compete, and whether it’s in the squared circle over there or the ONE circle, I’d love to get my hands on JDS or any of Dan Lambert’s guys."
