WWE's Jinder Mahal praises UFC's Arjan Bhullar for raising awareness by wearing turban

WWE star Jinder Mahal once had a special glass case to hold his turban. Even today, his professional wrestling colleagues know not to disrespect it.

“It’s never on the floor,” Mahal told MMAjunkie.

The headdress is a symbol of sacrifice and identity for Mahal, which is why he praises UFC heavyweight Arjan Bhullar for bringing it to the octagon.

“I’m glad Arjan raised the awareness, and the UFC understands the importance and the significance of it to him personally,” Mahal said.

Bhullar, who is Indian and practices the Sikh faith, initially was denied a request to wear his turban to the cage for his UFC debut on the grounds that it violated the promotion’s Reebok outfitting policy. But the 31-year-old fighter didn’t give up, and he was recently given the green light to wear the clothing item for his second bout at UFC on FOX 29, which takes place Saturday at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. Bhullar (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets Adam Wieczorek (9-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) on the UFC Fight Pass-streamed prelims.

Bhullar said the turban could even be a platform to honor his faith and the UFC’s partnership with Reebok. Just as Nike released a “pro hijab” for Muslim female athletes, the turban is expected to be branded with a Reebok logo.

“For us Indians, a turban would be huge,” Bhullar said. “There’s no product like that out there.”

Mahal knows Bhullar well from the fighter’s early days as an amateur wrestler. He said Bhullar once inquired about his career as a professional wrestler, perhaps hoping to gain insight on whether to make a transition to the ring or cage.

“He’s one of those great, great athletes,” Mahal said. “Obviously, he has a high aptitude for whatever he does. It’s a little bit easier transition into MMA, but I’m sure he would have been successful in WWE also.”

Now that Bhullar has found sucess in the octagon, the jump to stardom in India might not be far away.

“All it takes is that one person to spearhead everything,” Mahal said.

For more on UFC on FOX 29, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.