“The Bengal” is back: K.B. Bhullar tries to climb to 5-0 at Unified 35
Dec 6, 2018
July 5, 2013. K.B. Bhullar takes his hand wraps off after a unanimous decision victory — his 4th straight win in less than 2 years. His star was on the rise. Going 4-0, Bhullar was fast- tracked to become a superstar in the sport. But then it just stopped. He walked away from the sport — or at least, from competition.
“Even in the last 5 years, I’ve been actively training,” says Bhullar, who makes his long-awaited return to action Friday at Unified 35 at River Cree Resort & Casino. “I haven’t skipped a beat. I’m excited to showcase the improvements I’ve made.”
So why does a fighter who had amassed such success at a young age, decide to step away?
“I’ve gone through a lot getting back here,” the unbeaten middleweight says. “I realized that if I was going to come back to professional MMA, it was going to have to consume me as a whole. It wasn’t going to be something I did just for fun. It was going to be something I would do to eat.”
The hunger has resurfaced. Bhullar’s career was on hold, indefinitely. And now he’s back, re-entering the world of competitive MMA after a 5 year layoff. The 27 year old, who signed with Unified MMA in July, recently graduated from MacEwan University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting at MacEwan University. His focus has, for now, shifted from degrees to titles.
“Once I identified with a return to MMA competition, once I had that sense of purpose — that this is what I was meant to do — then I knew I wasn’t supposed to do anything else.”
“The Bengal” is a lifelong student of MMA, and knows that to be successful; you have to evolve and have confidence in your abilities in each component of your skillset. A well-rounded talent, rather than a specialist, K.B. has the ability to adapt to wherever the fight ends up.
”I came from a background in taekwondo, boxing and kickboxing,” he says, “and for eight or nine years, I’ve also been training in jiu jitsu.”
His confidence is apparent.
“With everything that I’ve done, there is nothing that I’ve excelled with quite as much as MMA and leaving it behind is not something that I could do.”
K.B. Bhullar is still just entering his prime and has a bright future ahead of him. He’s stepped away from the competition to live and experience life, to broaden horizons and has also refined his metaphorical paint palette. Five years has passed since Bhullar’s arm was raised in his victory over Derek Parker. The game has evolved. The fighters are all multifaceted. Bhullar has grown without facing the heavy wear and tear of competition. With a defined purpose in life, he’s ready.
By Christopher Barnard (@cbarnard82)
