At UFC 312, Anshul Jubli needs to show his skill set
Fighting against Australia’s Quillan Salkilld in the early prelims lightweight division, the Indian will need to put his best foot forward
New Delhi: Under the unforgiving glare of the UFC spotlight in Sydney on Sunday, India’s Anshul Jubli will be fighting for more than just his first win. It is going to be a fight to establish his legacy as only the second Indian mixed martial artist to get the UFC contract.
Despite the pressure of it all, the Uttarakhand-native is feeling strong ahead of his second fight in the biggest MMA promotion in the world.
Fighting against Australia’s own Quillan Salkilld in UFC 312 in the early prelims lightweight division with colossal home support behind Salkilld is bound to be an unfamiliar experience but Jubli is raring to go.
“I haven’t experienced playing at someone’s home ground before, so every night before bed, I put on my earphones and listen to the sound of booing,” Jubli told HT in an interview facilitated by official broadcasters Sony Sports. “My visualisation is that people are booing while I’m focusing on the fight.”
Salkilld, a winner at Dana White’s Contender Series, mirrors Jubli in many ways. Both fighters share an identical 7-1-0 (W-L-D) record and stand 1.83m tall. However, Salkilld holds a slight edge in reach, measuring 1.91 cm compared to Jubli’s 1.75 cm. Despite this, Jubli has a strategy in place to counteract that advantage.
“If I’m standing still, his reach might be better. But if I’m creating angles and managing distance, his reach won’t make a difference. I won’t be playing to his advantage,” added Jubli.
Beyond sharing similar physical attributes, the fighters also have a comparable fighting style. Both blend grappling and striking seamlessly, making this an ideal match-up for Jubli to showcase his well-rounded MMA skill set.
“When he gets hit, he goes for a takedown,” explained Jubli. “I believe my fighting style is similar to his, but mine is more refined. I’ve also added power to my shots. I now throw long, powerful combinations and focused on that during bag and pad work with Coach Mike (Ikilei).
Jubli’s grappling coach Siddharth Singh detailed the work the team has put in. From the usual film study of the opponent to fight strategy, he urges Jubli to emphasize sticking to a “bell to bell” fighting mentality and keep fighting regardless of the situation.
This time around, some changes were the need of the hour after Jubli’s loss to USA’s Mike Breeden in his debut fight in UFC 294 in October 2023. After pretty much dominating in the first two rounds, Jubli was knocked out with a big right hand in Round 3.
“My biggest issue with Anshul’s last fight was probably me,” Singh told HT at the Crosstrain Fight Club. “I had a long conversation with him because he said he didn’t do well. I told him, ‘No, I think you did as well as you could have. I think the coaches messed up. Mike (his striking coach) and I made a mistake.”
Jubli found the right support following the loss and has now moved on but upon reflection, admits to getting carried away by the excitement of being at the biggest stage of all.
“I got a little too thrilled and went down. It’s good that happened. Some things come with experience. That loss taught me something. It is not going to happen again.”
Singh and Jubli had identified holes in Breeden’s style but the exhilaration that surrounded the event in Abu Dhabi got to them.
“It was getting unreal, it was madness,” said Singh. “Typically, the night before a fight, we stay in the room and just talk fights. If he doesn’t want to talk about his fights, I show him other fighters for inspiration.”
“We didn’t have our usual conversations about fight strategy - what to do if you’re winning the first round, what to do if you’re losing? I feel I should have been the final checkpoint to make sure he’s following the game plan.”
“He almost finished Mike in the second round, exactly like we discussed. But we didn’t recognize that moment. When he sat on the stool at the end of the second round, we just said, ‘You’re winning, you’re not tired, keep doing what you’re doing.’ We didn’t give him a specific game plan for the third round. And that’s where we really messed up.”
But Jubli, who may be the most helpful and soft-spoken person off the fight is familar with switching to his aggressive fighting persona as soon as he enters the cage this time.
“I feel fortunate to be representing India in the UFC. It’s the same excitement each time I hear I can make history. If this is pressure, then bring it on.”