What’s the story?

India is all set to have its very own UFC fighter for the first time, after Bharat Khandare signed-up for the mixed martial arts organisation.

In case you didn’t know…

Earlier this year, Canadian fighter Arjan Singh Bhullar became the first Indian origin fighter to sign for the UFC. Now, Khandare is set to take the first steps for his own country, as he becomes the first Indian-born MMA fighter in the UFC. He had previously been on the roster of the Brave Combat Federation.

The heart of the matter

Khandare is all set to go into his first fight this month itself in Shanghai, where he is set to face Chinese fighter Pingyuan Liu in his first ever UFC bout. The Indian fighter will be up against the odds in his first fight, as Liu has an impressive record to his name. he has won 12 of his UFC fights, while losing only four of them.

Khandare, on the other hand, is coming off a loss against Ahmed Faress in the Brave 5 fight, which took place in India. However, the Indian fighter has had an impressive five match winning streak before that loss, and will be looking to get back some of that momentum, before he goes into this fight on November 25, in Shanghai.

What’s next?

Already having made a good impression at the Brave 5, Khandare will be looking to build a good record in the UFC as well. However, the UFC fights are at a much higher level, and it will be interesting to see how he goes about his job.

Author’s take

Making the transition to the UFC is not an easy thing at all, and Khandare will have to pull out all he has in his reserve, to go out and get a win against Liu in Shanghai on November 25.