Brandon “The Truth” Vera’s reign as the ONE Heavyweight World Champion came to a screeching halt at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Arjan “Singh” Bhullar stayed true to his promise, becoming the promotion’s newest World Champion as he stopped Vera in their heavyweight clash at ONE: DANGAL on Saturday, May 15.
Bhullar rained down punches as the Filipino-American was in the fetal position, prompting the referee to stop the bout with 31 seconds remaining in the second round, effectively ending his six-year reign in the division.
Though many people expected Bhullar to use his wrestling against the striker in Vera, the Indian-Canadian stood toe-to-toe with Vera, and it worked out in his favor.
Bhullar used his boxing to repeatedly tag Vera in the pocket, moving excellently as the defending World Champion threw heavy leather.
The only time Bhullar got Vera on the ground in the first round was when he scored a takedown inside the final two minutes after landing a stiff straight. Vera did control Bhullar’s posture, though, as he worked for a kimura lock until the round ended.
In the second round, it was all Bhullar.
While Vera was throwing one punch at a time, the 34-year-old Olympian tagged “The Truth” with solid combos, landing with an overhand right that hurt Vera.
Seeing the World Champion on the brink of defeat, Bhullar’s confidence grew. He stayed in the pocket and engaged the Sanford MMA standout in the striking department to great success.
The finish came when Bhullar dug deep into Vera’s body, sending “The Truth” down and following up with vicious ground and pound on the fading World Champion to win the belt.
Bhullar improved to 11-1 and became the first Indian World Champion in mixed martial arts after the resounding victory.
On the flipside, with Vera’s loss, the Philippines now finds itself with just one titleholder left in ONE Strawweight World Champion Joshua “The Passion” Pacio.
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