UFC Fighter Passed On WWE Career After Talking To Jinder Mahal
Arjan Bhullar became the first Indian-born mixed martial artist to win a UFC fight when he earned a unanimous decision victory at UFC 215. He recently revealed to The Sun in the UK that he turned down a chance at a WWE career after receiving advice from Jinder Mahal.
Bhullar represented Canada as a freestyle wrestler in the 2012 London Summer Olympic. Shortly afterwards, he said he was faced with the tough decision of choosing between pursuing an MMA career or a WWE career.
"We were in talks after the Olympics with both the UFC and WWE to figure out the next step career wise," Bhullar said. "The WWE wanted me to come down to the development center in Florida and go through that."
Bhullar said he then contacted Mahal for some advice. He and the former WWE champion are friends, and Mahal was even supposed to corner Bhullar at his UFC fight but couldn't make it to the event due to Hurricane Irma keeping him from leaving Florida. Bhullar said the grueling schedule in the WWE was the reason he decided to pursue an MMA career.
"I actually reached out to Jinder and asked him about the schedule and what it would look like if I were to take that opportunity," Bhullar said. "I realized how crazy it is – they're never at home. I'm a pretty family-orientated guy and I still have that competitive edge as well. For those two reasons I was able to go the UFC route."
Bhullar, a heavyweight, is currently 7-0 in his professional career. He didn't rule out a chance to join the WWE at some point.
"Down the line – to dabble in the WWE – I'm open to that," he said. "I grew up on WWE."
Source: The Sun