How backstage footage turned into an Amazon documentary on MMA’s first Sikh champion
Canadian Sikh MMA fighter Arjan Singh Bhullar spoke to sports journalist and Sikh PA sevadaar (selfless servant) Hardeep Singh Dhadwal about his historic MMA career being captured on camera for an Amazon Prime documentary, available to watch in the UK and USA, coming to Canada soon.
Sikh PA: Tell us about your MMA career and how it started to now being captured in a documentary on the world’s biggest content platform.
Arjan Singh Bhullar: My career started in my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. I grew up with a wrestling akhara in our home which served our community and also served me throughout my journey. Training there took me to winning a Commonwealth Gold and competing at the Olympics. When it came to my time to transition into MMA, I reached out to some of the biggest names I could and ended up at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose (California, USA). I had a relationship with MMA legend Daniel Cormier through our international wrestling backgrounds since I was 18. This put me on the path to the UFC, and along the way I became aware that things like social media, documenting my own journey, I needed to do these things to put myself where I want to be, where I want the community to be represented.
What do you think will most shock people in the documentary, something the public
may not realise about you or MMA?
I think people may be shocked at the type of people contributing to the documentary. We got a lot of great people, huge names. It was great to sit with Russell Peters to talk about his journey and how it compares to mine. But at the same time, I am a very family-oriented man, so some people may be surprised about how relatable my life is, even as a
professional fighter who is one of a handful out of millions of my community to be doing this.
How do you go about turning backstage footage into a full Amazon documentary?
Ambassador Studios did an amazing job of capturing all of the backstage stuff and also using any archival stuff we gave them. They’re a Sikh-led filmmaker team so there was a closer understanding of what my journey was about. There is so much footage that the hardest part was keeping it down to just an hour when we could have done a series. But the deal with Amazon was for a one-piece documentary.
You are a private person, so what is it like taking your life so public with this documentary?
It is not easy. I am very private. I never wanted to expose my wife or kids to the scrutiny I face. It’s my journey, and I didn’t necessarily want that to be out there. They never asked to be part of that. This documentary for sure was a challenge, because they have got unprecedented access compared to everything else in the past. But I try to keep a part of myself that’s just mine and keep that private.
Who are your sports role models?
I was a big Muhammed Ali fan. What he did for his people and the community inspired me. I think Dara Singh was the equivalent for our Sikh Punjabi culture and community. He’s transcended generations and made an impact, and I hope my journey has done that too.
What motivated you to overcome all the obstacles and challenges you faced to become a world champion?
The nature of being a champion is dealing with obstacles and challenges. Dealing with that allows you to become a champion. As much as the physical act of training and competing, it is the mental strength to face adversity in your everyday life and your career and still persevere. The motivation of living up to this idea of a champion, of achieving the dream of becoming the first Sikh MMA champion, that mindset, that vision was the motivation.
How do you see the future of Sikh athletes in MMA evolving?
Sikhi has a bloodline of warriors. Historically we’ve had avenues to continue this warrior lifestyle through wrestling and kabaddi, then boxing and now MMA is the next one. It pretty much puts all of those together. We have the right history and we just need the right training environment to support budding athletes. Someone from our community will rise to the top again, I have no doubt.
How does Sikhi help you to stay focused and inspired before and ahead of major MMA matches?
Sikhi is a huge foundation of my life. Not just MMA focused, but every day. Our feel like no other faith has had as many people who laid down their life for a cause than Sikhi. I lean on that for inspiration. What I do is challenging and my faith connects me to those who have faced bigger challenges laying the groundwork for Sikhi. I come from that bloodline and we all do. We have to carry that forward.
How do you handle negativity and what do you find helpful to limit it affecting your overall performance?
How you handle negativity is Chardi-Kala. I am a kind person and you expect to receive kindness in return. I have people who care deeply about me around me, so if I need to hear some constructive criticism they can do that for me, and I need that. That toxic behaviour which is prevalent on social media is not part of my life.
What would a regular MMA camp work out in a day entail for you?
Different disciplines. You have wrestling one day. You would do Jiu-Jitsu the next. Striking the next. It’s high intensity. We do weight-training, cardio, circuit training, track work, swimming for recovery. And this is every week. And I always do mental work in the morning and evening too. You have to work on that side of things too.
Where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?
I have been representing Canada internationally and I still intend on doing that. My foundation is doing great work throughout the country. My legacy gives me peace as it is about giving back to the community. I also have a couple things cooking, so stayed tuned for the future!
Watch the documentary via Amazon here- Prime Video: Title Fight.
USA to extradite “Indian nationalist” gangster for Canadian Sikh leader assassination
/0 Comments/in News /by adminA US government-led “international crackdown” on the Bishnoi gang Indian terror outfit will see “nationalist” head Lawrence Bishnoi face extradition for the 2023 assassination of Canadian Sikh leader, Shaheed (martyr) Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Dozens of arrests made in the USA, Canada and across wider Europe were the result of a US government RICO operation -called Operation Hardball- on the Bishnoi gang. The 2023 Surrey (BC, Canada) shooting of Nijjar is included within the case against the Indian criminal network.
Nijjar -then President of Guru Nanak Gurdwara Surrey- was targeted for being a Khalistani (free Sikh homeland movement) leader. 37-people currently face charges because of the operation, whilst dozens more also remain wanted.
Bishnoi has long been held up as a symbol of India’s criminal street enforcement of Indian nationalism, with the group usually targeting those labeled “anti-national”, such as Sikh supporters of Khalistan or those who have been critical of India’s nationalist regime. Hindu mobs in Canada have even been videoed chanting for the Bishnoi gang, before the group were officially labelled a terror outfit in the country in 2025. Prior to this, Canadian authorities also declared the Bishnoi network is a proxy of the Indian government. However, the role the Indian government plays in directing the Bishnoi gang is not part of the indictment from the USA, something which Sikh groups have raised concerns about.
The case by the US government against the Bishnoi gang does cite various extortion attempts against Sikh families, including at least one which was facilitated by a senior Punjab Police officer, who threatened to put false murder charges on Punjab-based family of one USA target, unless they paid Bishnoi gang thugs. The US government exposing Punjab Police as part of the Bishnoi network is not the first time such a thing has come to light, as previously covered by Sikh PA. An arrest for Station House Officer Gurinderjit Singh Nagra of Tanda Police Station is believed to be part of the arrests within Operation Hardball.
The FBI, Los Angeles police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and US Customs and Border officials participated in the investigation, which also revealed a narco-trafficking branch of the Bishnoi gang. Ironically, Hindutva propagandists often push a completely unverified claim that Khalistanis (free Sikh homeland activists) are running trafficking networks across the globe. The allegation is becoming a very obvious projective claim, as various figures linked to the Bishnoi network have been revealed as traffickers, including Nikhil Gupta, the man in an American jail for attempting to have New York lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun killed the same week Nijjar was hit.
Whilst no timeline for Bishnoi’s extradition exists yet, as the process unfolds Sikh groups will continue efforts to have the issue looked at beyond the street-level violence, and have the true threat of India’s Hindutva (Hindu extremist) regime exposed.
Sikh communities will also be hoping that the arrests settle issues such as the extortion violence crisis in Canada, which is mostly targeting Sikhs.
Sikh genocide film gets global pirate screenings after India censorship
/0 Comments/in News /by adminA much anticipated film on the life of Shaheed (martyr) Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra was finally released last week, only for India to then ban it completely, leading to global public pirate screenings in Sikh communities ever since.
After years of anticipation, the film starring Punjabi celebrity megastar Diljit Dosanjh was finally released on 3rd July on Zee 5 in India and those who subscribe to the channel overseas. However, it was then removed from the platform on 5th July in India and then also became unavailable via the platform globally too within the following week.
Originally titled “Punjab ’95”, the film suffered over three-years of editing via demands from India’s film censor board before the release, demanding hundreds of edits to the film which is meant to depict the work of Khalra, a revered figure who exposed India’s police-orchestrated anti-Sikh genocide with studious investigation, only to be murdered himself for it in 1995. An open advocate for Khalistan (the free Sikh homeland movement), despite his heroism, Khalra is viewed as an enemy of India to many nationalists, as is evident from the social media response from various Indian nationalist commentators to the film. However, the film itself completely erased this Khalistani aspect of Khalra’s activism.
Zee 5 released a statement after they took the film down, obscurely blaming “current developments”, whilst also saying they are attempting to bring the film back to the platform, requesting audiences refuse piracy. No update has come since, and countless groups since arranged public viewings via unofficial methods of streaming the film.
The film’s initial reception when it was available to view saw both new interest and reaffirmed support for Khalra, possibly triggering the decision to pull the film. Sikh community groups across the globe responded to the censorship with events to screen the film. Viewings have been held across Punjab and wider India, as well as in major Sikh diaspora hotspots such as Southall (West London, UK), Smethwick (Midlands, UK), Melbourne (Australia), California (USA) and beyond, with countless more viewings being arranged too.
Perhaps further underlining why the film was pulled, the Khalra story is reinvigorating activism amongst Sikh communities too, with focus on India’s Sikh genocide on Punjab, which many say continues still, with several recent accusations of Punjab Police carrying out “fake encounter” murders of innocent civilians who are branded criminals or terrorists after their death. A mass gathering has been organised in Punjab for 14th July, within which the widow of Khalra has stated demands for “accountability” will be raised, which include a new inquiry and financial support from leading Sikh body the SGPC for impacted families. See her statement in full here.
Despite the pirate popularity of the film, there are still strong criticisms towards it from Sikh commentators concerned with it watering down the systemic nature of India’s genocide and covering up Khalra’s support for Khalistan.
Read more on the life of Shaheed Bhai Khalra here.
Media inquiries for Sikh reaction to the film can be made to media@sikhpa.com.
Sikh community groups speak out on “ceremonial knife” murder
/0 Comments/in News /by adminA conglomerate of Sikh community groups released a joint statement today, condemning “a moment of madness” from a Sikh individual, which saw them use what was described in court as a “ceremonial knife” in an incident which led to murder.
Read more on the case (Southampton, December 2025) regarding victim Henry Nowak and the guilty attacker Vickrum Digwa here: Jury finds Vickrum Digwa guilty of murdering Henry Nowak | Daily Echo
See the statement in full below:
Today the court has found Vickrum Digwa guilty of the murder of Henry Nowak and his mother guilty of assisting an offender.
Henry’s life has tragically been curt short by a moment of madness by an individual for which there can be no excuses.
The jury heard evidence that the incident was preceded by an altercation and allegations of racial abuse, but ultimately rejected Vickrum Digwa’s claim of self-defence.
Prosecuting counsel told the jury that, in the prosecution’s case, the incident was not about Sikhism or racism, but about the unlawful killing of Henry.
Nonetheless, the wider Sikh community has unacceptably faced considerable abuse and hate during the trial as many do not understand the law, the significance of the Kirpan or the responsibility associated with wearing a Kirpan.
The actions of police officers who handcuffed the victim just before he died has not helped and given an opportunity for many to criticise the police, but it has also unnecessarily stirred up community hatred.
Now the trial is over we want to make absolutely clear the law only provides fully practicing Sikhs with a defence under the law to wear a Kirpan for religious reasons.
If a Kirpan or bladed item is used aggressively in an act of violence the defence under the law for a Kirpan does not apply and it is deemed an offensive weapon.
We understand in this case the weapon that may have been used was not the normal Kirpan worn by fully practicing Sikhs. This nuance is critically important and may not have been explained or understood by those asked to give evidence in this case.
This was an isolated incident, the Sikh community is committed to promoting greater understanding and ensuring lessons are learned. Fully practicing Sikhs who wear a Kirpan should continue to recognise the serious responsibility that accompanies it, together with the limited legal protection that exists for wearing it for genuine religious purposes.
We will be ensuring it is understood that anyone simply possessing a weapon with the intent to use it to cause unlawful violence carries a minimum sentence of up to seven years following the recent Crime and Policing Act 2026 coming into effect a few weeks ago.
Double Gurdwara “execution” in Italy underlines diaspora assassination concerns
/0 Comments/in News /by adminThe murder of two Sikhs at a Covo (Bergamo, Italy) Gurdwara last month has reinforced diaspora concerns around Indian transnational repression.
Local resident Rajinder Singh and Gurmit Singh (who lived in nearby Agnadello) were shot dead just before midnight in a drive-by shooting on 17th April outside Gurdwara Mata Sahib Kaur Ji. Police called it a “coldly planned execution”, according to local media.
A man described as “an Indian from Antegnate” (a nearby town) was identified by witnesses as the gunman behind the deaths of the two 48-year-olds. The attack took place outside Covo’s Gurdwara, which is in Via Campo Rampino, the day before the Gurdwara’s scheduled Nagar Kirtan (Vaisakhi celebration, religious procession).
A third man was also grazed on the head by a bullet during the sporadic and rapid gunfire from the killer, who stepped out of a car, knelt down as if praying, and then rose with gunfire, according to witnesses. The gunman is believed to have been a former attendee at the Gurdwara, although he remains unnamed publicly and currently on-the-run. Rajinder Singh, a former president of the temple, had reportedly filed a police complaint last November after being threatened by the same man. Two other men, named as Sukhjinder Singh (known as “Kala”) and Yovanpreet Singh Dhillon, handed themselves in to the Bergamo police the day after the killing based on allegations they were involved. Both were released the same day but allegedly remain under investigation.
Whilst local media speculate that a management feud for Gurdwara control was behind the killings, no official motive is yet confirmed. One associate of the deceased said to local media “We don’t know the reason. In the past there had been some discussion, but nothing that suggested a tragedy.”
Sikhs For Justice (international legal advocacy organisation, currently running the Khalistan [free Sikh homeland] referendum) issued a statement shortly after the killings, noting how Rajinder Singh was affiliated with the local Indian Consulate, and had last year organised an event to honour an Indian diplomat at the Gurdwara, much to the disdain of much of the Gurdwara congregation. Support for Indian officials is often met with backlash in Sikh communities, amidst India’s transnational terror campaign targeting activists.
The double murder became even more suspect after two noted SFJ (Sikhs For Justice) representatives of Italy received death threats for sharing the official SFJ social media post on the incident.
Brothers Jagroop and Gurpal Singh began receiving threatening calls and texts from a number now being investigated by Italian authorities, after the duo both shared the SFJ post on Facebook which labelled the killings Indian transnational repression.
Although Rajinder Singh and Gurmit Singh were known to be connected with the local Indian Consulate, such links have appeared before within the modern-day murder spree impacting diaspora Sikhs. In 2022, noted Sikh figure and Indian government affiliate Ripudaman Singh Malik was killed whilst on his way to a planned meeting with an Indian diplomat, in Surrey (BC, Canada).
Speaking to Italian media on the threats, Jagroop Singh said, “They won’t stop us. We will continue with our Khalistan Referendum activity and information campaign. We strongly condemn what happened: the response cannot be violence, but must be peaceful. We don’t know the person who threatened us: he said he was Rajinder’s friend, but we don’t know who he is or if it’s true. We are Italian citizens and, therefore, the threat was aimed at Italian citizens.”
In 2024, Sikh residents of Novellara in Italy alleged another transnational repression hit, after two Pakistani men murdered community figure Harpal Singh, the President of the local Singh Sabha Gurdwara who was involved in organising the Khalistan referendum there. The men were recently hired by Singh before they seemingly randomly killed him. Read more- Italian Sikh activists allege another Indian State assassination | SikhPA.
Brothers Jagroop and Gurpal were also targeted in 2023 when the Indian Consulate of Italy tried to interfere with their father’s funeral. Under Italian law, the Indian Consulate must give consent for a resident of India to have a funeral (specifically a cremation) in Italy. Because of the brothers’ support for SFJ, they were not given permission by Italy’s Indian Consulate to carry out a cremation there. Read more- India attempt to prevent Sikh man’s Italian funeral due to Khalistan ties | SikhPA.
Investigations into the Covo executions continue. Both murder victims leave behind families, including grown children.
Two suspicious deaths reflect worrying times for Sikhs in India
/0 Comments/in News /by adminTwo recent deaths of Sikh men have left many once again questioning the safety of Sikhs in India.
The case of 35-year-old Border Security Force Officer Jaswinder (also being spelled as Jasbinder) Singh in March has just come to light this week as blatant death via police brutality, having been revealed to have 34 injuries in a postmortem after his family collected his body from the (Punjab) Narcotics Control Bureau in Amritsar (20th March).
Meanwhile, also this week (2nd May) a drug cartel enforcement mob was seemingly allowed free reign to brutally murder Billa Singh Dhillon also known as Billa Hedon (of Hedon village in Samrala, Ludhiana). Billa was known as a respected activist, playing a prominent role in local organising for the Farmers Protest, for social reform group Waris Punjab De and the Bandi Singhs Morcha (Sikh political prisoner protest). Through this seva (selfless service), Billa was known to expose drug dealers and thus became a target for the notorious narco-mafia of Punjab.
The case of Jaswinder Singh has been raised by United Sikhs, the global Sikh humanitarian and legal advocacy charity, which is calling for an inquiry into the death and immediate compensation for his family. The situation saw Jammu resident Jaswinder Singh randomly taken in for questioning by NCB in early March, and kept detained until he was announced deceased. His family were allowed one call from him 10 days after he was detained (13th March), where he openly begged for help from the torture he suffered, only for his detainment to be extended until his death. Pictures of the brutal state of his body upon his passing have been circulated online, but will not be shared by Sikh PA. One media report stated he was “ravaged from head-to-toe”. Different media reports give different accounts of whether he was only in Amritsar over this 17-day period, with some suggesting he was also taken back to Jammu by NCB officers too.
The clear extensive torture he suffered suggests real nefarious reasons for Jaswinder Singh to be targeted. The torture resembles previous occurrences in Punjab’s history when authorities were attempting to extract false confessions from someone, or alternatively simply sending a sinister message to anyone disrupting their own activities. Such tales of police brutality are decades old but still regularly reported in Punjab. As a Border Force agent, Jaswinder Singh would have been privy to a lot of movements which could have aroused suspicion. During his detainment, Jaswinder Singh was charged with crimes related to a trafficking seizure which his brother was arrested for in 2024. His brother (Pushpinder Singh) was released without charge back then, making the reasons behind this treatment of Jaswinder Singh all the more obscure.
Punjab has an open secret of police officers and other figures of authority being in charge of major narco-trafficking from the state, to the extent 10,000 police officers were removed from their stations in 2024 to try to disrupt the blatant corruption. Rumours about the true reasons behind the gangland style execution of two police officers in Gurdaspur in February also suggest internal turmoil within the narco trafficker-police network of Punjab. Some investigations have even found BJP leaders at the top end of trafficking in Punjab.
That same February Gurdaspur incident of the double police executions is the same incident which is directly linked to the fake encounter murder of teenager Ranjeet Singh the same week. Ranjeet Singh’s family had reported to the police they had video footage of the double killing, leading to them being targeted by other local police. Read more- “Resistance” rises in response to Sikh “fake encounters” revival | SikhPA.
Regarding the murder of Billa Hedon, whilst some media report it as a street clash, the activist’s mother said he was attacked by the same drug dealers he had recently handed over to police, saying he “opposed drug peddlers” and they “killed him for standing up to them”.
Respected Sikh leader Bhai Amritpal Singh, lead of the Waris Punjab De group Hedon was part of, was famously targeted by authorities after starting his anti-drug Khalsa Vaheer project, going village-to-village across Punjab to challenge peddlers and recruit activists through religious adherence. Amritpal Singh remains a political prisoner since 2023, even after winning a seat as an MP in 2024. Various other anti-drug Sikh activists have been tortured by police for their stands, such as Parvinder Singh Jhota, who was seen with visible electrocution marks after being released from police custody in 2023.
The deaths make headlines just as Punjab “resistance” against state fascism rises, with various reports of Khalistan (free Sikh homeland groups) targeting state infrastructure in response to the continued unjust deaths of Sikhs.
The deaths also come after various other gangland style killings in Punjab, reflecting a turbulent time which authorities seemingly not only do not have a grip on, but are actually complicit in, according to many Sikh organisations and grassroots accounts.
Investigations into both the deaths continue, allegedly.
“Resistance” rises in response to Sikh “fake encounters” revival
/0 Comments/in News /by adminA grenade with the pin still intact was left outside the business of a “BJP leader” in Gurdaspur (Panjab) on Monday evening, in an act later claimed by the “Panjab Resistance Front”.
The attack is one of at least three combative responses to Gurdaspur police killing Sikh teenager Ranjeet Singh in February in a “fake encounter”; when police fabricate an incident justifying shooting an arrestee, or claim a “disappeared” arrestee was released.
Two social media posts by @PRF_Panjab stated the “attack on a BJP/RSS leader” was a move to counter “Hindutva hate and fascist ideology” and its “occupational forces” which attempts to “control and exploit Punjab”.
The target of the attack was the business of a Gurdaspur BJP figure. Authorities cordoned off the area of Geeta Bhawan Road (a market area) where local BJP leader Atal Sharma has a “sanitaryware showroom”. Two “turbaned” assailants on a motorcycle were seen leaving the object outside the business at approximately 7.30pm on 27th April.
The BJP is the in-power party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, closely affiliated with the RSS, a Hindutva (Hindu extremist) paramilitary group linked to countless murders and acts of bigotry in the name of Indian Hindu nationalism. The BJP is an ultra-nationalist party which is often accused of using the RSS as a mob enforcement mechanism to subjugate minorities of India, including Sikhs.
The PRF is self-described as an organization of “Panjabis against fascism and oppression”.
The PRF incident follows two more similar acts, both of which actually saw explosives go off. Including this recent incident, since the 24th February suspected murder of 19-year-old Ranjeet Singh, the following acts of aggression towards Indian authorities in Punjab have been reported by Indian media and confirmed by sources to The Sikh Press Association as legitimate:
The Sikh Press Association recognize that Indian authorities’ claims of Khalistani violence are often viewed as entirely fabricated to justify subjugation of Punjab, or else seen as falsely entwined with non-political crimes (EG narcotics trafficking) to justify crackdowns on the free Sikh homeland movement. However, on the occasions listed above, there is grassroots verification which affirms these are acts of pro-Sikh sovereignty groups.
Around the late-February and early-March period, some demonstrations by Punjab youth against India’s Hindutva overreach into local affairs were met with police violence. In addition, a January 23rd 2026 attack on Punjab rail infrastructure is also noted as an act of Khalistan agitation.
These ongoing signs of deep unrest in Punjab were sandwiched between the killing of Ranjeet Singh, a killing which led to a global outcry given the brazenness of the case. The circumstances of his killing saw Ranjeet Singh taken in by local police, saying they only wanted to question him regarding the gangland style killing of two officers three nights before. Ranjeet Singh’s uncle (father’s brother) had CCTV footage of the murder of the officers which he gave to police, who later came removing all other potential video footage of the suspects from the village, arousing suspicion of police involvement in the murder of two of their own officers. A few hours after receiving a police call to the family home saying Ranjeet Singh was being released, at approximately 1am 24th February news broke that the teenage student was killed in what police claim was a standoff. No locals report Ranjeet Singh having any history of criminality. Instead, in death he also becomes the given suspect behind the murder of the two officers the same week.
This suspected killing of 19-year-old Ranjeet Singh is seen as a trigger point, leading to increased activity from Khalistan organisations and the formation of new freedom fighter group the PRF.
However, the Ranjeet Singh killing is not isolated. Just this week, United Sikhs (global Sikh advocacy and aid charity) report the suspicious death of Amritsar Indian army officer Jasbinder Singh, immediately after he was arrested and implicated in a drug case. Read more here.
The Sikh Press Association notes actions mentioned in the above article would be classified as criminal (likely terrorism) by the Indian State. Reporting on the occurrences and wider grassroots Sikh community sentiment around such incidents is in no way advocation for any forms of violence, including acts of uniformed representatives of India.
See below for news clippings from Indian media on the recent incidents covered above.
First Sikh MMA World Champ turns backstage footage into Amazon documentary
/0 Comments/in News /by adminHow backstage footage turned into an Amazon documentary on MMA’s first Sikh champion
Canadian Sikh MMA fighter Arjan Singh Bhullar spoke to sports journalist and Sikh PA sevadaar (selfless servant) Hardeep Singh Dhadwal about his historic MMA career being captured on camera for an Amazon Prime documentary, available to watch in the UK and USA, coming to Canada soon.
Sikh PA: Tell us about your MMA career and how it started to now being captured in a documentary on the world’s biggest content platform.
Arjan Singh Bhullar: My career started in my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. I grew up with a wrestling akhara in our home which served our community and also served me throughout my journey. Training there took me to winning a Commonwealth Gold and competing at the Olympics. When it came to my time to transition into MMA, I reached out to some of the biggest names I could and ended up at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose (California, USA). I had a relationship with MMA legend Daniel Cormier through our international wrestling backgrounds since I was 18. This put me on the path to the UFC, and along the way I became aware that things like social media, documenting my own journey, I needed to do these things to put myself where I want to be, where I want the community to be represented.
What do you think will most shock people in the documentary, something the public
may not realise about you or MMA?
I think people may be shocked at the type of people contributing to the documentary. We got a lot of great people, huge names. It was great to sit with Russell Peters to talk about his journey and how it compares to mine. But at the same time, I am a very family-oriented man, so some people may be surprised about how relatable my life is, even as a
professional fighter who is one of a handful out of millions of my community to be doing this.
How do you go about turning backstage footage into a full Amazon documentary?
Ambassador Studios did an amazing job of capturing all of the backstage stuff and also using any archival stuff we gave them. They’re a Sikh-led filmmaker team so there was a closer understanding of what my journey was about. There is so much footage that the hardest part was keeping it down to just an hour when we could have done a series. But the deal with Amazon was for a one-piece documentary.
You are a private person, so what is it like taking your life so public with this documentary?
It is not easy. I am very private. I never wanted to expose my wife or kids to the scrutiny I face. It’s my journey, and I didn’t necessarily want that to be out there. They never asked to be part of that. This documentary for sure was a challenge, because they have got unprecedented access compared to everything else in the past. But I try to keep a part of myself that’s just mine and keep that private.
Who are your sports role models?
I was a big Muhammed Ali fan. What he did for his people and the community inspired me. I think Dara Singh was the equivalent for our Sikh Punjabi culture and community. He’s transcended generations and made an impact, and I hope my journey has done that too.
What motivated you to overcome all the obstacles and challenges you faced to become a world champion?
The nature of being a champion is dealing with obstacles and challenges. Dealing with that allows you to become a champion. As much as the physical act of training and competing, it is the mental strength to face adversity in your everyday life and your career and still persevere. The motivation of living up to this idea of a champion, of achieving the dream of becoming the first Sikh MMA champion, that mindset, that vision was the motivation.
How do you see the future of Sikh athletes in MMA evolving?
Sikhi has a bloodline of warriors. Historically we’ve had avenues to continue this warrior lifestyle through wrestling and kabaddi, then boxing and now MMA is the next one. It pretty much puts all of those together. We have the right history and we just need the right training environment to support budding athletes. Someone from our community will rise to the top again, I have no doubt.
How does Sikhi help you to stay focused and inspired before and ahead of major MMA matches?
Sikhi is a huge foundation of my life. Not just MMA focused, but every day. Our feel like no other faith has had as many people who laid down their life for a cause than Sikhi. I lean on that for inspiration. What I do is challenging and my faith connects me to those who have faced bigger challenges laying the groundwork for Sikhi. I come from that bloodline and we all do. We have to carry that forward.
How do you handle negativity and what do you find helpful to limit it affecting your overall performance?
How you handle negativity is Chardi-Kala. I am a kind person and you expect to receive kindness in return. I have people who care deeply about me around me, so if I need to hear some constructive criticism they can do that for me, and I need that. That toxic behaviour which is prevalent on social media is not part of my life.
What would a regular MMA camp work out in a day entail for you?
Different disciplines. You have wrestling one day. You would do Jiu-Jitsu the next. Striking the next. It’s high intensity. We do weight-training, cardio, circuit training, track work, swimming for recovery. And this is every week. And I always do mental work in the morning and evening too. You have to work on that side of things too.
Where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?
I have been representing Canada internationally and I still intend on doing that. My foundation is doing great work throughout the country. My legacy gives me peace as it is about giving back to the community. I also have a couple things cooking, so stayed tuned for the future!
Watch the documentary via Amazon here- Prime Video: Title Fight.
Hate crime suspected in latest random murder of Sikh man in Canada
/0 Comments/in News /by adminA 22-year-old Sikh man was shot dead by a vehicle of white males this week near Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), with the targets of the incident suspecting racism as the motivation of the murder.
The afternoon incident on Highway 2 (14.03.26) saw a pickup truck drive beside Singh’s moving Honda Civic. Two white males then signaled to the group of Sikh men in the car, before letting off a shot which hit Birinder in the neck. After his friends miraculously managed to stop the vehicle on the busy highway, Birinder was taken to hospital and later pronounced dead.
One friend speaking to local media but choosing to stay anonymous said, “Why they are shooting us? Because we did nothing. We didn’t even try to overtake them. We weren’t doing any race, we didn’t do anything. We were just enjoying our own company. Nobody knows. Even though we can think (it’s) due to brown skin, if we can say, because on our perspective, this is the only reason, only possibility. It’s not road rage, nothing like that. Still, we got shot. So we can say that it’s a discrimination.”
Birinder Singh’s friends say police have dashcam footage from his car which will show the vehicle behind the incident. However, they are yet to be given any updates with the investigation. The road at the time was also extremely busy, furthering the possibility of there being lots of witnesses and video evidence which could help find the criminals behind the shooting.
Speaking on the incident, Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said:
“Canada has a random killer on the loose and the response from authorities and media is lackluster, missing the urgency one would expect in response to such a callous killing. There is no major broadcast for a manhunt or anything akin. It is like they do not feel the concern that the Sikh community does regarding such incidents, possibly because of an unsaid understanding this is a problem only impacting Canadian minorities only, as racism is behind it.
“Nevertheless, Canadian Sikhs will organize and mobilize and demand more clarity than seen in previous instances of random murders of Sikh men, of which there have been at least three in recent years which still leave questions unanswered.”
The random killing of a Sikh man in Canada is becoming a common occurrence in recent years. Whilst police have ruled out a hate crime in such incidents, questions regarding the perceived dispensability of Sikh lives remain. Other examples of the random murders of Sikhs in Canada include:
Other murders of Sikhs in Canada in the last five-years could also be labelled ‘random’, with suspicion of racism as motivation.
Birinder Singh had only been in Canada two-years from Punjab. Friends said he was working towards starting his own business to “build his life”. A fundraiser to support his family (including costs to fly his body back to Punjab) is being supported by Sikh groups. See- Fatal shooting of man on Alberta highway was random: friends.
Sikh farmers imprisoned and assaulted, as 300million make anti-US trade stand
/0 Comments/in News /by adminSikh farming communities were once again subject to extreme police violence, as plans for a protest were met with assault and imprisonment, just before 300million people took part in a nationwide strike this week.
On 6th February the predominantly Sikh-led farmer union group BKU (Bharti Kisan Union) organised a protest march into Bhatinda (Punjab), which was met with a violent blockade of 1500 police officer, by Rampura Phul on the Bathinda-Chandigarh National Highway.
Officers randomly fired teargas cannisters and water-cannons at the gathered protesters, which included Jagdeep Singh Jagga, Deputy Mayor of Patiala and State Secretary of the Aam Aadmi Party. A viral video of Jagga shows him receiving a “burst eye” from taking a brutal water-cannon beam directly to the face from short-range. Various other protesters were injured from police strikes, teargas and water-cannons.
The march was originally organised to demand the release of farmer protesters who had been imprisoned since 2025 without conviction for any crime, and also demanding the reinstatement of teachers at an Adarsh School in neighbouring Chauke village, in a protest collaboration with teacher unions.
When plans of the protest broke, various farmer activist figures found themselves with police at their front door that morning, with reports of dozens of arrests, which included incarcerating female family members of some of the activists. Sukhdev Singh of BKU said “many of our leaders have been detained in different parts of the state”.
An overall rise in authoritarian-style police operations against Punjab’s government critics has been reported in 2026, as well as concern of a rise in “fake encounter” police murders also being alleged by some Sikh groups.
The particularly brutal and heavy-handed attack on the Punjab farmers last week was partly believed to be driven by the government’s desire to quell Sikh activist influence on the rest of India, attempting to avoid scenes similar to what was seen in the 2020 #FarmersProtest movement. This would be of particular concern to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP administration currently, due to the follow-through of a mass nationwide protest which occurred on 12th February this week.
An estimated 300million took part in the nationwide strike driven by labourers regarding both “BJP policies” and recent trade agreements with the USA. Many of Punjab’s Sikh-led union and worker rights activist groups supported the strike and played prominent roles in encouraging the demonstration.
Along with criticism of BJP’s general day-to-day governance, farmer groups also complained that India’s recent free trade agreements with New Zealand, Europe and now the U.S. were poised to ruin India’s farm sector, as the local markets would be inundated by cheaper products.
Amarjeet Kaur, general-secretary of All India Trade Union Congress, a prominent union that took part in the strike, said “Cheap American farm produce will be dumped in India, making it difficult for our farmers and small businesses to compete”. In response to the concerns from union groups, Narendra Modi’s BJP government says the deal will “expand exports, attract investments and strengthening strategic ties with the US”.
Further strikes are being planned, with groups like the BKU and its Sikh leaders at the forefront of not just a Punjab pushback against government, but a nationwide resistance involving hundreds of millions.
Speaking on the protests, Sikh Press Association Chief Press Officer relayed concerning beliefs:
“The news of this violence against Punjab’s Sikh farmers and the information about hundreds of millions going on strike in India is being throttled on social media. None of this goes as viral as it once did, even when it replicates the same imagery and narrative which made these issues so important to the Sikh diaspora in 2020. In 2026, we are in a different world, and within that there are many reasons as to why these issues are not as visible to the Sikh diaspora as they may have been five-years-ago. I have no doubt that one of these reasons is an increase in India’s control on social media and searchable news content.”
GUILTY: Modi’s “international narcotics and weapons trafficker” assassin confesses to New York hit
/0 Comments/in News /by adminIndian national Nikhil Gupta today pled guilty to orchestrating “an Indian government” 2023 assassination attempt on New York lawyer and leading Khalistan (free Sikh homeland) activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton and senior representatives of US intelligence agencies confirmed Gupta “pled guilty to all three counts…murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with his efforts to murder a US citizen in New York City” (in June 2023).
54-year-old Gupta was arrested in November 2023 in Czech Republic and extradited to the US in Jun 2024. At the time, suspicious murders and deaths of other Khalistan activists were occurring from Italy to Pakistan, all later revealed to be part of a global Indian transnational assassination program, taking out leading Sikh activists and other critics across the world, most notably Shaheed (martyr) Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey (shot dead in BC, Canada) and Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Khanda (suspected of being poisoned, died in Birmingham, England), both in June 2023.
India has attacked Khalistan activists over decades through various regimes, due to the threat it poses to India’s Hindu-caste-based hierarchy and general infrastructure. Pannun was targeted as a leading Khalistan activist, currently running the global democratic exercise campaign, the Khalistan Referendum for his advocacy group Sikhs For Justice. Over 200,000 diaspora Sikhs are estimated to have taken part in the non-binding vote campaign since it started in 2022, from the UK to Italy to Australia and beyond.
An FBI statement said Pannun was targeted for being “a vocal critic of the Indian Government” and that the FBI would stand against “foreign adversaries who target our citizens”.
Gupta’s guilty plea will strengthen Sikh demands for action against India’s foreign interference in the US and Canada, as he was found to be orchestrating assassination attempts against “so many targets” in North America, during the FBI sting which foiled him. However, according to a US attorney, the guilty plea also means Gupta will not be forced to expand on his connections to India’s government.
Nevertheless, a suggestion that Gupta was recruited to carry out the killing through his criminal enterprise was referenced, underlining a longtime accusation from Sikh groups regarding India hiring known criminals to target the community. One media outlet reported the court heard Gupta become involved “in exchange for having criminal prosecutions against him dropped in India”. Figures like India’s notorious national security Youtuber Indian Army Major Gaurav Arya have even gone public with requests for India’s global nationalist lobbying network to hire criminals to kill Sikhs in the USA and UK.
Statements from US authorities also confirmed the role of RAW (Research and Analysis Wing- Indian intelligence) in the attempted murder. Despite this, only last week head of RAW Ajit Doval (who was head in 2023 too) was in North America, meeting Canadian Liberal Party government representatives in Ottawa. Official US government communications named “co-defendant VIKASH YADAV, who was at relevant times an Indian government employee, to plot the assassination of an attorney and political activist…” as the Indian government employee running the killing campaign. Yadav is believed to be hiding out in India from US extradition attempts.
Amongst the US factions prosecuting Gupta were the “National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section”, underlining the gravity of the crimes India were carrying out in the US. The exact incident speaking the arrest occurred on 9th June 2023 when Yadav and Gupta, both working from India, arranged for an associate to deliver $15,000 in cash to an undercover officer as an advance payment for the murder, according to the indictment.
A trial is currently ongoing in Canada regarding the assassins who carried out India’s hit on Nijjar. Meanwhile, no investigation has occurred in the UK regarding Khanda’s suspicious death, even after Bloomberg News recently quoted UK intelligence officers saying they were aware of India’s plans to kill the British citizen in 2023.
Hindu Indian national Gupta is scheduled to be sentenced by on May 29, 2026, where he could face up to 40-years imprisoned in the USA for his criminal activities for India’s government.
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