Anshul Jubli is set to make his much-awaited UFC debut at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. ‘The King of Lions’ will be representing his home country of India as he takes on Mike Breeden. The undefeated fighter has a record of 7 wins and 0 losses and will try to keep his streak alive. Many Indian fans believe that Anshul is the first fighter to represent India in the UFC, but they are sadly mistaken.
The first Indian fighter to represent the UFC was not Anshul Jubli but a gentleman named Bharat Kandare. Kandare is a featherweight fighter who made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 122: Michael Bisping vs. Kelvin Gastelum. His opponent was none other than the current No. 7 bantamweight, Song Yadong. Although he lost the match via submission, it was still a big deal to represent Indian MMA on such a big stage.
Bharat Kandare was the first Indian to fight in UFC. He only fought one match in UFC which he lost. I think he got cut from UFC after he got suspended for a failed drug test
— Saidas (@KidwithAnxiety7) February 5, 2023
After this match, he was scheduled to face Wulijiburen at UFC 227 but had to pull out due to an injury. However, things would get worse as Khandare received a two-year suspension from USADA for a failed drug test. He tested positive for prohibited substances. Furthermore, there are no records of him fighting since the suspension.
On the other hand, Anshul Jubli is the first-ever lightweight to win the Road to UFC tournament. He defeated Jeka Saragih via TKO to win a UFC contract. Now he is set to make his country proud with his official UFC debut. However, his debut is now marred by controversy.
Anshul Jubli’s opponent Mike Breeden misses weight by 3.5 lbs
Mike Breeden (10-6-0) was scheduled to welcome the debuting Jubli at the UFC 294 preliminary card, but he went on to miss the weight limit by a huge margin. The 34-year-old fighter weighed in at 159.5 lbs which is 3.5 lbs more than the lightweight limit.
Even after such a terrible weight miss by his opponent, ‘The King of Lions’ has accepted to face Breeden. Jubli is eager to make his UFC debut and won’t let his opponent’s mistake derail his momentum. Mike Breeden is coming off a knockout loss to Terrence McKinney; he will try to end his three-fight losing streak with a win over such a hyped prospect.
Anshul Jubli vs Mike Breeden is on! Breeden missed weight earlier today by 3.5lbs. Credit to @anshuljubli_ for accepting the fight under these circumstances 👏 🇮🇳 #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/6K3JwPFcVx
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) October 20, 2023
Anshul Jubli will be looking to make a statement with a strong performance in his UFC debut. Hopefully, he will be getting a huge percentage of his opponents’ purse for such a massive weight miss. However, King of Lions might not be the first Indian fighter in the UFC, but he has the chance to be the first to win a championship.