UFC Heavyweight Welcomes Daniel Cormier Comparisons

Arjan Bhullar is welcoming of comparisons between him and current UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.

Bhullar takes on Juan Adams on the UFC Ottawa prelims tonight and like Cormier, has a wrestling background. He won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and also represented Canada at the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games.

Given that the two also train at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), it’s no surprise that Bhullar is compared to Cormier, which the former is fine with.

“Absolutely I welcome [the comparisons], he’s the greatest fighter the UFC’s ever seen. 40 years old, two-weight champion, natural, no bullshit,” Bhullar said at an open workout on Thursday. “And he carries himself amazingly inside the cage and outside. For me, that’s a big reason I went to AKA.

“He comes from a similar background in terms of wrestling, similar frame, and he’s the champ, so if I could photocopy his blueprint, that’s the way to success. Why reinvent it? So if people see that, then I’m doing the right thing because I’m trying to do that.”

Beating “DC” And Cain Velasquez In Wrestling?

Another worthy teammate at AKA is former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who has his own impressive wrestling credentials.

Would Bhullar be able to to beat him or Cormier in a wrestling contest? He certainly would try.

“Hey! I’m a competitor, so I will compete, but I got a lot of respect for [Cormier], let’s just leave it there,” Bhullar explained. “Cain, he’s a phenomenal athlete too. I hope he bounces back for another fight. He wrestled for Arizona State, great athlete, these guys are my seniors, I’ll never say anything bad about them. Good guys.”

Becoming A Contender

Bhullar has a professional record of 8-1 and is 2-1 with the UFC. Against Adams, he will look to get consecutive UFC wins for the first time.

The 32-year-old believes that is the first step in slowly becoming a contender.

“I feel certain prospects out there, Greg Hardy and others, are unproven,” Bhullar said. “I think I’ve proven myself in my abilities in terms of wrestling and even in the fight stuff. I did get caught in that one fight, but every second of every fight I’ve been in control. I’ve been dictating where the fight is and been comfortable, all that stuff matters.

“I’m excited to shed the prospect-to-contender title, and in my head it’s already there, it’s a matter of you guys starting to write it.”