Bellator free fight: Juan Archuleta captures bantamweight gold at Bellator 246

One year after his bid to capture the Bellator featherweight title fell short on the scorecards, Juan Archuleta moved back down to bantamweight and picked up the vacant 135-pound title instead.

Archuleta had gone to the scorecards in a losing effort against 145-pound champion Patricio Freire in the Bellator featherweight grand prix in 2019 and, with his route to a rematch blocked by the ongoing tournament, “The Spaniard” dropped down to 135 pounds to challenge for the vacant title.

That title shot came at Bellator 246 in September 2020, where he took on then-undefeated contender Patchy Mix in a back-and-forth battle that went all the way to the scorecards. This time, however, Archuleta found himself on the winning end of the judges’ decision as he captured the title with scores of 49-46, 48-47, 48-47 after a thrilling encounter at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Faced with noted submission specialist Mix, Archuleta was forced to endure a tricky opening round as Mix ducked under a punch to take the action to the canvas. Once there, Mix worked hard to open up an opportunity for a submission, but Archuleta stayed calm and fought his opponent’s hands to ensure he remained out of danger.

Mix took matters to the mat again in Round 2, but this time Archuleta was able to attack on the ground and, after reversing position, scored with some heavy ground and pound.

After two rounds spent predominantly on the ground, Archuleta smartly kept the majority of the action in the stand-up realm through the remaining three rounds of their title tussle, where his boxing ensured he held the advantage in the striking exchanges. Mix continued to be the aggressor, however, as he pushed forward looking to force Archuleta into a mistake, but Archuleta fought expertly off the back foot and scored consistently by catching Mix as he looked to close the distance.

The final round saw Archuleta load up and target the midsection as he hammered his opposite number with crushing body shots. Those punches then opened up the opportunity for Archuleta to switch back to the head, and he scored with some clean shots to ensure he was the man in the ascendancy when the final bell sounded.

Recap Archuleta’s championship-winning performance via the video above.