Bollywood star Varun Dhawan was in town for UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi, and as ever he brought his trademark energy and genuine curiosity to the world of mixed-martial arts. For an audience used to seeing him on red carpets and film sets, it's refreshing to see him immersed in the sport. In a chat with City Times ahead of the massive UFC card, we hear him talk ground-game strategy and what the UFC scene means beyond the glitz.

Last October, Khamzat Chimaev was making headlines - now, with him champion, Dhawan says he's exactly where he deserves to be.“He dominated the entire division,” Dhawan said.“If he could make the weight class below, I think he'd dominate that also. But now you're seeing Islam Makhachev come up in weight and fight Jack (Della Maddalena), and later I would enjoy a fight Islam versus Khamzat, though I don't think it'll ever happen, but I would really enjoy that fight.”

On why he keeps coming back to the UAE for fight nights, Dhawan is unequivocal:“Abu Dhabi is a great host for the UFC. I've been to a couple of them. I saw Khabib versus Dustin Poirier live as well as when Khamzat fought Usman.”

He says his interest isn't just casual.“I'm a big fan of the sport. I think it's eventually an art. There's a lot of skill needed; it's not just about brawling, there's also the ground game, which I enjoy. I even like playing it on PlayStation.”

Asked what if he'd discovered MMA earlier in his life, Dhawan didn't hesitate:“100 per cent I would have tried and trained more actively. I mean, I can't say I'm anything - I've trained a little bit of boxing, Muay Thai and done a jiu-jitsu class here or there, but that's nothing to talk about. It's a skill that needs development and you need to put in years and years of hard work into it. So I have a lot of respect for people who do it because it's hard. But if I knew about it more when I was younger, I would have tried to train more and probably take part in some tournaments. Probably not in the stand-up because I don't want to mess this (my face) up, but maybe jiu-jitsu, or something on the ground.”

Ahead of the UFC 321 - headlined by Tom Aspinall vs Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena on October - Dhawan had picked Aspinall as his favourite to win. But Ciryl, he says, "can definitely strike with anyone in the world. He's very well-versed. But I see Tom finishing that one."

However, last night's main-event ended in a No Contest in Round 1 after Gane accidentally poked Aspinall in his eyes, after which the English mixed martial artist couldn't continue the fight. He remains the UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Finally, on the Indian scene's potential in MMA, Dhawan sounded both optimistic and realistic.

“We've got a couple of fighters. Some in the UFC, some in other promotions. India has a great base of wrestling and boxing. Obviously, this is an art of different disciplines," he says. "But soon, I think we will start being able to put it together, and you'll see a lot more fighters coming from India.”

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