“I feel much better” – Arjan Bhullar says his mindset has improved heading into Amir Aliakbari war

Indian MMA superstar Arjan Bhullar has admitted that his mental preparation for his fight with Amir Aliakbari on March 1 at ONE 166: Qatar is sharper compared to his previous bout against Anatoly Malykhin.

Bhullar made this revelation during a recent appearance on Sportsmanor’s YouTube channel. In the video, he was asked how he dealt with the devastating loss to Malykhin and what the state of his headspace is heading into the clash with Alikabari, which will go down inside the Lusail Sports Arena in Qatar.

‘Singh’ stated:

“I thought I was going to beat him. So my confidence is the same as it was heading into that. But, of course, I think from a mental perspective, I feel much better. I feel like I can beat Amir and that's the fight that we have right now and I can't wait to prove that.”

The former world champion suffered his first defeat in ONE Championship from Malykhin in June 2023 at ONE Friday Fights 22, where he sustained a third-round TKO finish to give up his 26-pound golden belt.

Nine months later, Bhullar will have the opportunity to redeem himself in a massive showdown with Aliakbari that could give him an outright rematch with the reigning Russian world champion.

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Arjan Bhullar wants Amir Aliakbari to be at his 100% on fight night

Arjan Bhullar will be bringing his A-game to his impending matchup with Amir Aliakbari, and he expects the Iranian MMA star to do the same. After all, he currently rides a three-fight win streak with wins over Mauro Cerilli, Brandon Vera, and Dustin Joynson.

Furthermore, the American Kickboxing Academy representative will not accept any excuses from Aliakbari, especially if he sustains a defeat from him after their clash.

ONE 166: Qatar is available live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America on March 1.