'Agar main nahi, toh kaun?': Uttarkashi's Anshul 'guarantees' India UFC contract - Hindustan Times
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‘Agar main nahi, toh kaun’: Uttarkashi's Anshul Jubli ‘guarantees’ India UFC contract ahead of big fight vs Jeka Saragih

Feb 02, 2023 03:43 PM IST

Anshul Jubli stands just one win away from setting a new benchmark, which if he manages will make him only the second Indian after Bharat Khandare to bag a UFC contract.

"I'm gonna get that contract for India, for me, and for my family," Anshul Jubli had told Hindustan Times ahead of his first fight in the Road to UFC competition in June last year. Fast forward seven months, the 28-year-old from Uttarkashi now stands just one win away from setting a new benchmark, which if he manages will make him only the second Indian after Bharat Khandare to bag a UFC contract.

Indian MMA fighter Anshul Jubli(Instagram/Anshul Jubli)
Indian MMA fighter Anshul Jubli(Instagram/Anshul Jubli)

Anshul will be locked against Indonesian Jeka Saragih, and considering what's at stake it won't be wrong to call the event in Las Vegas on February 5, the biggest night of his career. However, Anshul is not at all nervous. In fact he feels he owes this win to the Indian MMA community, and is optimistic that Indian fighters will be headlining all the major MMA promotions in the coming three to five years.

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"Not at all. I think, I'm made for this. I have no pressure. I feel some responsibility towards Indian MMA community, but I don't feel any pressure. I'm well prepared. I'm ready. 'Agar main nahi, toh kaun!' (If not me, then who!)," said Anshul with a radiant smile and exuding confidence while talking to reporters from Las Vegas.

Anshul, who fights in the lightweight division, is not only ready for the challenge but he assures his fans of complete domination, and rates South Korea's Kyung Pyo Kim, his previous opponent, "way better" than Jeka.

"The game plan is simple. It's to dominate from the first minute of the fight. I'll go there and dominate. I'll try to break Jeka Saragih until he collapses and win the fight inside three round. My last opponent finished eight or ten of his fights. He had 80 percent finish rate, but I won that fight and I think he was way better than Jeka. So I don't think Jeka can finish me," said Anshul.

Anshul inspires to achieve what Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski have already done. The two are at the top in their respective divisions, with Islam currently holding the lightweight title, while Volkanovski being the reigning featherweight champion. Both superstars will be meeting next week at UFC 284, where Volkanovski challenges Islam for two-division glory.

Despite the beaming confidence, Anshul is also aware how a strong jab can lead things south, but asserts chances of it being next to impossible. "In MMA anything can happen. If he throws a good shot and it lands on my chin, I will be knockout, but the chances of that is very, very low.

"I'm not stupid. I know my range. I know how to fight him. He's very dangerous when you're fighting him inside. But I'm not gonna fight his fight. I'm gonna make him fight my fight," he said.

Watch Anshul Jubli in Road to UFC - Finals LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 (English) channels from 8:30 am IST on 5th February 2023

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