‘A Different Level Of Inspiration’ – How Arjan Bhullar’s Children Motivate Him To Be The Best
Arjan “Singh” Bhullar has accomplished a lot in his combat sports career, but being a father surpasses all of those accolades.
The former ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion – who will return against Iranian powerhouse Amir Aliakbari at ONE 166: Qatar on Friday, March 1 – recently welcomed his third child to the world.
Already the proud parents of two daughters, Bhullar’s wife, Neenu, gave birth to their son in October 2023. They named him Heera, meaning “Diamond” in Hindi.
The Canadian-Indian superstar spoke to onefc.com about the joy of completing his young family:
“Becoming the father of a baby boy was an amazing feeling – the feeling of completeness, of being blessed. It really made our family whole with the two sisters that he has. Having a healthy child and having his sisters welcome him into this world was a special moment for my wife and me.
“He is our diamond, and he really fits that name.”
Bhullar is now preparing for his crucial heavyweight MMA clash with Aliakbari at the Lusail Sports Arena, and the new addition serves as an even bigger reason for him to push through the grueling training sessions.
These days, his life as a fighter is not for his own gain. Instead, “Singh” is aiming to lead the way for his children:
“At first, as an athlete, you must always be selfish. When it’s just you, you’re living for yourself, that’s easy.
“Once you have kids, life changes. Now with three kids, my desires for them exceed anything that I want. It’s all about them. It’s really a different outlook and a different level of inspiration, meaning, and purpose to life.
“When things get difficult, I think, ‘What would my kids think if they’d seen me in this moment right now?’ I must push through. I must stand with conviction.”
Arjan Bhullar Wants To Be A Role Model For His Children
It can be tough to juggle a career and family life, especially when you’re a professional athlete like Arjan Bhullar who must base his training camps away from home to be fully prepared.
Moving from his native Vancouver, Canada, to training camps at American Kickboxing Academy in California, USA, Bhullar has to sacrifice time with his children.
However, with the help of his wife and a firm commitment to being there for the family when he’s back home, they manage to make it work.
Bhullar explained:
“Training camps are difficult. I have a great partner who really steps up when I’m in camp and allows me to focus on what I need to do and be out of town. But it’s challenging, obviously, between myself and the kids, not seeing each other. So outside of camp, I like to be as involved as possible.
“A good parent is a parent that’s present, who’s there for everything, and I want to be the best parent I can be.”
A huge driving force for Bhullar is knowing that his kids will see his dedication and commitment and then absorb those traits into their own lives.
“Singh” followed his father into wrestling before switching to MMA, so he knows how powerful a parent’s influence can be. Still, he’s more focused on the mindset than the end goal.
Above all, he wants to show his children that they can achieve anything if they give it their all – whether in martial arts or any other field.
Bhullar added:
“It’s not about what I want. It’s about making a good life for them, making them proud, and leading by example. More than anything, I want to make sure that I can parent them the way I want to, but also if they look at my life, they can say their dad also walked the walk.
“That being said, I don’t want to limit them. I want them to be happy first and foremost. That’s most important. Beyond that, whatever they choose in life, I will always support them. My wishes and dreams don’t matter.
“People have said they’ve got big shoes to fill, but they’re not wearing my shoes. They have their own shoes. They have their own lives.”
