Former UFC star Arjan “Singh” Bhullar will be watching intently when ONE: BIG BANG rolls around.

ONE: BIG BANG is scheduled for live broadcast at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on Friday, 4 December. One of the bouts scheduled on that card features heavyweights Amir Aliakbari and Islam Abasov, both new entrants in ONE’s 120.2-kilogram division.

One man who has a vested interest in this matchup is Bhullar, who is considered unofficially the #1-ranked contender to the heavyweight throne. 

Bhullar has been on a collision course with reigning ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon “The Truth” Vera of the Philippines/United States ever since he joined ONE Championship. His victory over former ONE World Title challenger Mauro Cerilli last October further stamped that claim. 

Despite being fully-focused on preparations for his bout with Vera, the 34-year-old veteran is certainly keeping an eye on the competition.

“We’ll see how it goes. Aliakbari is very busy online and has a great social media following. Let’s see him get in the Circle and get busy, I haven’t seen that in a long time. I do feel that if he’s on his game, and he’s sharp, that he does win that fight and sets himself up for bigger ones down the road. He is a proven winner coming from the wrestling world,” Bhullar commented on Aliakbari.

“You have to respect him. He knows how to win, he’s a competitor. He’s competed at the highest levels in wrestling, in the fight game, against the biggest names. He’s a winner. He finds a way to win. That will to win cannot be taught. He has that, and he has that confidence. He’s very strong, he’s fast. Those are great strengths.”

Bhullar believes Aliakbari should have no problem taking care of business against the undefeated Abasov.

“Prediction, Aliakbari comes in and he wins the fight. He controls it with his clinch work, gets the guy on the ground, and rains blows on him. He tries to mix in a little bit of standup, but that’s his route to victory and he will impose that,” said Bhullar.

ONE: BIG BANG

ONE: BIG BANG is the first of ONE Championship’s live event offerings in the month of December. The main event features a showdown between ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia of the Ukraine and challenger Murat “The Butcher” Aygun of the Netherlands.

Despite thinking highly of Aliakbari’s fighting skills, Bhullar says he himself is still a cut above the rest and holds many advantages over the competition. The 34-year-old is confident he can beat Aliakbari, and anyone else in the division for that matter, should they meet inside the Circle after he beats Vera for the title.

“What do I do better than all the other heavyweights? I’m a proven winner, and I win in many different ways. If I need to wrestle you down and grind you out, I will do it that way. If I need to stand and pick you apart that way, I’ll do it that way,” said Bhullar.

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“(Aliakbari) is not fully rounded in my opinion, and his body shows that. Those are areas that can be exploited. I also think he’s not the man to lead the division and carry the gold. Number one, because that’s me. And number two, I stand for the ONE Championship values. If we’re talking about integrity, respect, honor, doing the right thing — all of those things. Humility, bringing people together — that’s me. That is not Aliakbari, and that will be his biggest downfall.”

Watch the action at ONE: BIG BANG on Friday, 4 December, on Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2 at 6 p.m. India Standard Time (IST).