Rivalries: Juan Archuleta

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:

Eduardo Dantas

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.

Patricio Freire

“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.

Patrick Mix

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.

Sergio Pettis

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.