OTTAWA – Wrestling led UFC heavyweight Arjan Bhullar to the Olympics. And he won’t hear anyone who tries to dismiss that accomplishment.
“I’ve got the credentials and I’ve earned that, so what are you going to do?” Bhullar told MMA Junkie.
Juan Adams seemed to dismiss Bhullar’s background in a pre-fight interview for their upcoming bout at UFC on ESPN+ 9, indicating his NAIA credentials and Olympic performance were nothing special.
A veteran of the Division I wrestling program at Virginia Military Institute, Adams (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) said he’s seen the same level of talent in training camp.
“When he went to the Olympics he placed 13th out of 19 wrestlers,” Adams told UFC.com. “I’ve never placed that low in a wrestling tournament. Maybe once in college, but since my sophomore year of college, I’ve never placed that low.”
Bhullar (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), a veteran of the 2012 Games representing Canada, wants to nip that in the bud right away.
“The fact of the matter is, he hasn’t seen a national tournament,” he said. “I understand he’s part of a Div I program and thinks that’s a big deal, but he hasn’t been to a national tournament.
“So for him to mention something about the Olympic Games, he has no right. He can’t even scratch that. He doesn’t know where that is.”
More importantly, Bhullar pointed out, Saturday’s meeting at Canadian Tire Centre is not a wrestling match. On that, they seem to agree. Adams promises to punch Bhullar more times than he gets taken down, while Bhullar plans to pound his opponent everywhere he can.
Adams has made no secret of his fondness for the party lifestyle, which Bhullar said will make his job easier.
“For someone as green as him, from his first fight to fifth fight, there hasn’t been too much progression,” he said. “You would see bigger jumps. I think that’s because he’s not putting in the work. He’s not in the gym as much as he should be. He loves to party and spend some of that money and chase girls.”
Bhullar does give Adams credit for going into deep waters in his octagon debut against Chris de la Rocha. But he believes his grind will break the up-and-comer down on Saturday.
Check out the above video to hear Bhullar’s thoughts on the matchup, and for more on UFC on ESPN+ 9, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
