Can Anshul Jubli Bounce Back from UFC 312 Disappointment?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Jubli’s Journey and Controversial UFC 312 Bout
It may still be early days into his UFC journey, but Anshul Jubli has already gotten a taste of both incredible success and deep disappointment. The Indian lightweight made an unforgettable debut at UFC Apex in February 2023, where he handed Jeka Saragih his first-ever TKO defeat and pocketed a $50,000 Performance of the Night Bonus. However, that high was followed by a harsh low just eight months later, when he suffered his first defeat, knocked out by Mike Breeden, who had missed the weight limit by 3.5 pounds for their fight at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
Fast forward a further 15 months and the MMA fighter from Uttarakhand was back in action in the Octagon, this time featuring in the early prelims of Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 against debutant Quillan Salkilld. Unfortunately for Jubli, the bout lasted only 19 seconds as Salkilld landed a clean right-hand punch that was deemed enough for the referee to step in and halt the fight. The result marked the second-fastest knockout by a lightweight debutant in UFC history.
However, the result did not come without controversy, as many members of the MMA fraternity argued that the bout was an early stoppage. Salkilld rocked Jubli with a haymaker early in the fight that dropped the Indian to the canvas, but the 35-year-old got back up and attempted a double-leg takedown as Jim Perdios stepped in to stop the action. The ‘King of Lions’ almost immediately voiced his protest to the referee, but Perdios stood by his decision, much to the disappointment of Jubli and his adoring fans from across India.
Following the fight, Renato Moicano was the first to voice his discontent with the decision, with the number-10-ranked lightweight in the division saying:
“20 years to have an Indian in UFC, and the referee does that.”
What next for Anshul Jubli?
While the defeat to Salkilld was a major setback for Jubli, to his credit, the ‘King of Lions’ has not allowed the loss to derail his ambition and desire. A week after UFC 312, Jubli took to social media to share a video of himself back in training at the Soma Fight Club, captioned with a motivational message, writing: “No distractions, no delays, Straight back to the grind!”
Despite many of his fans calling for a change in leadership, Jubli has continued training with his long-time coach Siddharth Singh, who was one of Perdios’s biggest critics after the stoppage, drawing comparisons to past fights between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, and Cheick Kongo vs Barry - both of which saw fighters recovering from early blows to come back to win the bouts. For now though, Jubli will have to bide his time, come back stronger, and deliver a better performance when he steps back into the Octagon.
