Last Updated:
Anshul Jubli returns for his second appearance in the UFC. After a long lay-off due to injury, the ‘King of Lions’ hopes to get the win, stay active and learn from his previous mistakes.
Anshul Jubli returns for his second fight in the UFC, hoping to get his first win in the octagon. (Image: UFC)
The octagon is set for the ‘King of Lions,’ Anshul Jubli to make his return as he looks to secure his first win since being contracted to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). After dealing with several injury concerns, the fighter from Uttarakhand is set to come back after 477 days, represent the country and more importantly focus on getting his first UFC win.
Jubli rose to popularity when he secured a UFC contract by winning the Road to UFC Lightweight Tournament and had the country behind him as he made his debut in the big leagues. However, he suffered a defeat on debut after an impressive display in the first two rounds against Mike Breeden in October 2022.
Since then, compatriot, Puja Tomar went on to one-up Jubli as she became the first fighter to take register a win in the UFC. But for the 30-year-old, that has only eased up the pressure of expectations that weighed on him all this time. He now has his focus set on performing at his best and making sure that all the work done behind the scenes goes well in the lead-up to his second fight against Australia’s Quillan Salkilld in UFC 312 Early-Prelims.
“I think the pressure has reduced a little bit. Because when Pooja went on to win, the tag of being ‘the first Indian to win in the UFC’ that pressure is gone. Now we know that we can not only get to the UFC but go on and win as well. So now I am not thinking about that because Pooja Tomar has done that and ended the pressure for me as well.,” Jubli revealed in an interview with News18 Sports.
Learning From His Errors
Looking back at his UFC debut, Jubli had a tremendous start in the fight. In the first two rounds, he showed no signs of fear or nervousness as he easily got himself in striking exchanges. However, despite winning the first two rounds he ended up getting overwhelmed in the final round where his opponent went all-out to secure the win.
This time, Jubli comes in more accustomed to the demands of the big stage, he revealed the change in mindset where he now has his target set on getting the win and nothing less.
“I would say that now I’ve had the experience of fighting with a big crowd watching you. There was a lot of adrenalin and I was very excited in my last fight even before I stepped into the octagon. Backstage I could hear the crowd’s cheers and it was the first time I performed in front of 50,000 people,” he shared.
“But I don’t think it will happen this time. I have experienced it. Now I have only one job. I have to do what I do best. And I have to come back with the win,” he added.
More Activity After Coming Back From Injury
As mentioned earlier, it has been 477 days since his last UFC fight. Jubli remains well aware of that and is targeting a more active schedule going forward, having recovered from several injuries that have been pulling him down since his last fight.
He had undergone surgery for his nose due to breathing issues. But that does not mean he is going to shy away from getting into striking exchanges. He mentioned that he has copped several blows during training and seems to be holding up well and remains confident in his body should he have to throw hands.
“This is a sport of hurting. This sport is a sport of punching on the face, whether it’s a punch or kick, whether it’s your ears, eyes, or nose. I have done a lot of sparring before this fight and I have got a lot of punches on my nose,” he commented on the potential concern of backing away from strikes to the face following his nose surgery.
“So, I can take all those punches very well. I had to get surgery because I was having a lot of issues for many years. I had a nose issue and I had to get it done and now my nose is looking fine. And I can take all the punches and kicks,” he added.
Despite being away from the action for so long, Jubli remains intent on getting busy this year as he hopes to get in more fights and go up the ranks. He insisted that being on a big stage like the UFC meant that there could be no compromise on carrying forward injuries and hopes to keep healthy coming forward.
“This is my plan because I couldn’t fight in 2024 and I had a knee injury, back injury, and a lot of other injuries; I had nose surgery as well. So, because of all these injuries, I couldn’t fight and I think it was necessary to deal with those injuries. It was going on for a long time,” he said.
“Now that we are at the UFC stage, I can’t go ahead with these injuries. But yes, the plan is that I will be active in 2025 if God wills, because a lot of things matter,” Jubli concluded.
Watch India’s very own Anshul Jubli in UFC – 312 early Prelims on 9th February 2025 at 4:30 AM IST. LIVE On Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil & Telugu)
