Watch: India’s Road to UFC finalist, Anshul Jubli gets SLAPPED by his coach mid-fight
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Anshul Jubli's coach "SLAPS" him
Anshul Jubli, an MMA fighter from India recently fought and defeated Kyung Pyo Kim of South Korea in a lightweight bout at the Etihad Arena. This confirmed his position in the finals of the Road to UFC in the future. Jubli went to the fight as an underdog but performed incredibly well. After three rounds of back and forth, Jubli was declared the winner via a split decision.
During the fight, in between the rounds, Jubli, and his coach, Mike Ikelei shared an intense moment that might be the turning point for the fighter. Ikelei slapped Jubli across his face in order to wake him up and help him focus more.
He said: “Deep breath. Hey hey, look at me. You are right now. Hey, this is the part of the fight where it gets hard for both of you. This is where it’s gonna get better for you. Hey u king of fucking lions, you are king of fucking lions.” The speech did its work and Jubli came back to his senses and did well in the later rounds, ultimately winning the bout.
Anshul Jubli meeting the UFC pound-for-pound king Alexander Volkanovski
UFC 280 was huge for Anshul Jubli and the fighter showcased amazing striking skill inside the octagon. The Uttarakhand native is a huge fan of UFC and during his semi-final fight, he got the opportunity to meet Alexander Volkanovski.
Volkanovski was there as the official substitute fighter for the main event at UFC 280 however, it was never needed. Nevertheless, Volkanovski still got a callout from Islam Makhachev and will most probably fight him next year. Anshul Jubli posted a reel on his Instagram account of his meeting with Volkanovski. In the caption, he wrote, “With the pound-for-pound King of the UFC. What a huge honor.”
Jubli has always spoken about how he wants to represent himself and his country in UFC. The fighter in an interview with LokerRoom India opened up about his plans to change the perception of Indian fighters worldwide.
He said: “Road to UFC is a platform that has some of the best fighters from Asia. And there is an Indian fighter representing the nation. I want to show that… Whenever we go out, they ask whether there is MMA in India. Everyone thinks that either Indians are doctors or engineers, or they think that we work in hotels. We Indians are not projected outside as fighters,”
The win in the semi-final has taken Jubli one step closer to his goal and he has a lot of expectations from his fans in India and all over India.
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Soumya Ranjan
(2167 Articles Published)