Bellator 258 Recap: Archuleta Vs Pettis
Bellator
Bellator returned on May 7th with one of their most stacked cards of 2021 with the main event being for the bantamweight championship as Juan “The Spartan” Archuleta (25-2) had to defend his crown against number one contender Sergio “The Phenom” Pettis (20-5). In the co-main event, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson will make his MMA return to complete the light heavyweight grand prix. All of this action took place in Uncasville, Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Arena exclusively on Showtime at 9pm EST.
Two of Bellator’s best bantamweights fought for the crown jewel with Archuleta recently winning the belt against Patrick Mix just under a year ago in what was a very impressive performance for the former featherweight grand prix challenger. Archuleta has proven to be the best as he has fought the very best Bellator has to offer when he competed against two weight world champion Patricio Pitbull, and he has beaten the best bantamweights in Bellator including former champion Eduardo Dantas, Ricky Bandejas, Henry Corrales, and most recently Mix.
However, don’t count out Pettis because he has fought the very best bantamweights and flyweights in the world; coming over from the UFC he brings experience with being in the cage with the likes of former two weight world champion Henry Cejudo, Joseph Benavidez, Jussier Formiga, and Ricky Bandejas. Most recently on the list, he absolutely dominated Bandejas to earn a unanimous decision victory in his second Bellator appearance guaranteeing him this opportunity against Archuleta.
This fight caused fireworks because of the simple fact these two bantamweights are arguably the best in their respective division. Pettis is a juggernaut when he begins to flow with his rhythm while Archuleta has the fight IQ to disrupt Pettis at every turn. Archuleta promised fireworks and it’s hard to deny him. The fight will remain standing until Archuleta decides to take it to the mat as he has the superior grappling skills, yet don’t be surprised if Archuleta decides to stand and trade with the Phenom. But, has Pettis evolved enough since his UFC days to stop the wrestling of the Spartan to remain comfortable on the feet? That will be answered at Bellator 258.
That is not all as we will see Rumble return to the cage against short notice opponent Jose Augusto Azevedo Barros. Another exciting contender will be featured as Michael Venom Page, better known as MVP returns against a tough matchup in Derrek Anderson. Plus, we will see Patricio Pitbull’s brother, Patricky Pitbull sharing the Bellator cage with Peter Queally. Expect a night of explosive action on Showtime.