One of the UFV Cascades wrestling team’s head coaches will be entering the octagon with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Richmond native Arjan Bhullar announced on his Facebook page earlier today that he has signed on the dotted line with the biggest mixed martial arts group in the world.

He becomes the first ever South Asian fighter signed to the company.

“I will proudly represent the Maple Leaf and be the ambassador for over 1.7 billion South Asians,” he stated on his Facebook page. “I fully appreciate the significance of this moment, and understand the seriousness of the task at hand. We will prepare accordingly.”

Bhullar has dominated the local mixed martial arts heavyweight scene, compiling a perfect record of six wins and zero losses during his time with Canadian promotions. He most recently defeated Joe Yager in Coquitlam on April 29 at a Battlefield Fight League event.

He was a member of the Canadian senior national team for five consecutive years, highlighted by a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2007 and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in India in 2010. He also was a member of the Canadian Olympic team for the London 2012 Summer Games, and finished 13th in the men’s freestyle 120 kg division. Bhullar was the first Canadian of South Asian descent to qualify for freestyle wrestling in the Olympic Games, and he was named Canadian Wrestler of the Year in 2009.

During his university wrestling career at Simon Fraser University, Bhullar won two NAIA national championships and one CIS title. He‘s the only wrestler to win a national title in both conferences in the same year.

Bhullar’s first fight in the UFC is still to be determined, but speculation online is he could be added to the UFC 216 card, which occurs in Edmonton on Sept. 9.