Brandon Vera deems Arjan Bhullar a worthy challenger

MANILA, Philippines – ONE Championship heavyweight king Brandon “The Truth” Vera expects a tough grind the moment he returns to the circle for his next world title defense.  

Vera is scheduled to defend the belt he has been holding since 2015 against the dangerous “Singh” Arjan Bhullar later in 2020 – and he expects nothing but the best from the American Kickboxing Academy product when they square off.  

“I’m very excited to be fighting Arjan Bhullar and to defend our ONE Heavyweight World Title. I think he is probably the best candidate to come face me,” Vera told ONEFC.com. “This guy is the real deal. I respect this guy tremendously. His wrestling is ridiculous. He comes from a school just like where I came from – huge pedigree.”

Bhullar earned his spot as the top contender when he dispatched Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli in his debut in ONE: Century Part II in October 2019.

Surprising everyone, Bhullar beat the Italian heavyweight in his own game – using superior head movement and footwork to frustrate “The Hammer” on the feet and controlling the match with his world-class wrestling.  

But Bhullar’s boxing is something that is not lost on Vera.  

“This guy has amazing boxing that nobody’s talking about,” Vera said. “This guy’s boxing is ridiculous. His head movement is crisp. He’s fast, and he likes to stay in the pocket.” 

Bhullar also represented Canada in wrestling in the 2012 Summer Olympics, and, like all good wrestlers, his cardio is exceptional. (READ: Brandon Vera and Miesha Tate | ONE at Home fight playback)

“Arjan has more gas than most heavyweights, and that’s something really different about him,” Vera continued. “He knows how to pace himself. Most heavyweights don’t know how to pace themselves. I’m going to have to push and test and poke in different places that he is not used to.”

Not that it matters, though, because Vera expects this match to end early.  

“We’re [going to be] in a championship fight,” he said. “It needs to be decided between us, not the 3 people watching.” – Rappler.com