‘Na haar mein, na jeet mein. Kinchit nahi bhaybheet mein’: Dehradun's Anshul Jubli is all set for big UFC debut

Although this will be Anshul's official debut, the Uttarkashi fighter is not all fazed with the occasion and promises to return with a win.

After making a strong impression in the Road to UFC, India's biggest MMA star Anshul Jubli is ready for his official debut in the elite MMA platform. Anshul will be in action against USA's Mike Breeden at UFC 294, which takes place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Having started his MMA journey from Matrix Fight Night (MFN) and now to UFC, the fight marks Anshul's first step towards the ultimate goal.

Anshul Jubli will make his debut in UFC on Saturday(Twitter)

So when asked if there's any bit of nervousness, Anshul despite oozing with confidence maintains a calm demeanor and says “my mantra is simple” and recites a stanza from Shivmangal Singh Suman's poem. He adds: “Na haar mein, na jeet mein. Kinchit nahi bhaybheet mein, sangarsh path pe jo mile, yeh bhi sahi aur woh bhi sahi.” (If you fail to understand what Anshul said, it meant I'm not afraid irrespective of the outcome.)

Although this will be Anshul's official debut, the Uttarkashi fighter is not all fazed with the occasion, promises to give everything instore and return with a win. The confidence in Anshul is driven by his hard work and he chooses to leave the rest to god's fate. “I don't feel I'm making a debut in UFC, because my Road to UFC final fight was stacked in UFC card, so the atmosphere is similar and I have the experience how UFC fights are.”

Anshul was scheduled to face a different opponent, however, a last minute change got the Indian drawn against Breeden and the same was conveyed to him almost six weeks ago. However, Anshul, who chooses not to skip training anytime, has no complaints over the short notice. “The nature of this sport is such that you can get an opportunity anytime, so you need to be ready at any given moment. I think if I get a call for a fight scheduled for next week, or some other short notice fight, you cannot say no in UFC. So I was always ready but particularly for this fight I started training six weeks ago, although I was already training prior to that.”

Anshul trained at the Soma Fight Club in Bali, Indonesia and before that he was training at Crosstrain Fight Club in New Delhi. Ahead of the big debut, Anshul has worked on his overall game and calls his opponent Mike Breeden “a complete fighter” and expects the best version of him inside the octagon.

“Mike Breeden is a complete fighter, good at both grappling and striking so I have focused on all areas. But I think I'm better than my opponent in all aspects. My game is to dictate fights and I'll be waiting for him to commit a mistake and the moment he does that, I'll go for the kill.”

Anshul's childhood pals in Dehradun, whom he refers as family, are his biggest fans. They have booked cafes, where his fight will be streamed. But Anshul too is equally excited about the main event, which is a rematch between current UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev and current UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski. The two had met earlier this year in February, with Islam grabbing the win after a five-round showdown between the two biggest stars.

“I'm not choosing any favourites and I'm actually supporting the fight. When it was announced that Charles Oliveira is no longer part of the card and the fight is now between Islam and Volkanovski, I forgot about my fight for an entire day. My Instagram feeds were loaded with Volkovaski vs Islam posts. The main event is such that whatever happens to me, I want to watch this fight from the cage side.”

Watch the LIVE coverage of Anshul Jubli’s debut bout against Mike Breeden at UFC 294: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski on 21st October 2023 on Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels with the pre-show starting at 7:30 PM IST.