When opportunity knocked,
Juan
Archuleta answered.
“The Spaniard” will step in on short notice to confront surging
Roufusport standout
Raufeon
Stots for the interim
Bellator
MMA bantamweight title in the
Bellator 279 co-headliner on Saturday at the Neil S. Blaisdell
Center in Honolulu. Archuleta has compiled a stellar 7-2 record
across his nine appearances on the Bellator roster. He linked arms
with the
Scott
Coker-led organization as a former multi-division
King of
the Cage champion in 2018.
As Archuleta pores over the remaining details associated with his
forthcoming showdown against the once-beaten Stots, a look at a few
of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this
point:
Archuleta added a riveting piece of footage to his highlight reel
when he knocked out the
Nova Uniao star in the second round of their Bellator 222
featherweight showcase on June 14, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in
New York. Dantas melted 4:59 into Round 2. Archuleta found another
gear after a competitive first five minutes, opened a cut on the
Brazilian’s left eyelid and staggered him with a short but powerful
right hand. His situation growing increasingly dire, Dantas pursued
the former King of the Cage champion to the fence late in the
second round, let his guard down and ran into a counter right hook
that sent him crashing to the canvas in an unconscious heap.
“Pitbull” outstruck and outmaneuvered Archuleta across five rounds
to retain his 145-pound championship with a unanimous decision in
the Bellator 228 co-feature on Sept. 28, 2019 at The Forum in
Inglewood, California. Scores were 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46 for
Freire, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the Bellator MMA
featherweight grand prix. Archuleta put up admirable resistance but
found himself outgunned in virtually every phase of the fight.
Freire countered effectively with both hands, handled the ex-King
of the Cage champion in the clinch, drew blood with an elbow strike
on the ground and threatened him repeatedly with guillotine chokes.
The only real damage inflicted upon the Brazilian resulted from an
accidental headbutt in the fifth round, which sliced open a
significant cut under his right eyebrow. Otherwise, Freire was in
control for virtually all of the 25 minutes. The setback halted
Archuleta’s 18-fight winning streak.
Archuleta laid claim to the vacant Bellator MMA bantamweight title
with a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten
Xtreme Couture representative in the Bellator 246 main event on
Sept. 12, 2020 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Scores were 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47. Mix started well enough, as he
kept “The Spaniard” off-balance with takedowns and repeated
submission attempts for much of the first two rounds. Archuleta
made the necessary adjustments across the final 15 minutes, managed
to stay upright and piled up points with punches to the head and
body. Mix never again rediscovered the magic and saw the chance to
capture his first major mixed martial arts championship slip
through his fingers. Archuleta’s reign lasted just 237 days.
Crisp jabs and clean counters carried the Roufusport standout to a
unanimous decision over Archuleta, as he captured the undisputed
Bellator MMA bantamweight championship in the Bellator 258
headliner on May 7, 2021 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Connecticut. All three cageside judges scored it for Pettis: 50-45,
49-46 and 49-46. Archuleta spent much of the fight playing into the
challenger’s strengths. Pettis used the Californian’s aggression
against him, snapping back his head with stinging jabs and sharp
counterpunches from both hands. Even when Archuleta turned to
takedowns, he failed to consolidate them with positional control or
ground-and-pound. The result was a decisive changing of the guard
at 135 pounds.