Skip to main content

Bellator 286's Juan Archuleta staying ready for possible return as grand prix alternate

LOS ANGELES – Juan Archuleta is happy to stick to bantamweight just in case there’s another opportunity at the grand prix.

Archuleta (25-4 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) meets Enrique Barzola (18-6-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) on Saturday’s Bellator 286 main card at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Both men recently were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the bantamweight grand prix, but Archuleta sees big implications in this fight.

“The tournament’s still going on, and (there’s a) possibility of getting pulled back in – someone gets hurt – so just making sure you’re always on the call and ready to go,” Archuleta told MMA Junkie at Thursday’s Bellator 286 media day. “Enrique and I were both winning our last fights, so it makes sense to have us fight and just use us as an alternate just in case someone doesn’t make weight or anything else happens.”

The cut down to 135 pounds isn’t easy for Archuleta, who’s also competed at featherweight and lightweight throughout his career. But the 35-year-old doesn’t expect to face any issues making weight as long as he has the adequate amount of time to hit the mark.

“I’m super professional – I’ve never missed weight,” Archuleta said. “I’ve just got to know in advance if this is where they need me, and this is where they need me right now. So (I’m) just staying down (in weight), and luckily I get to go out and train with T.J. (Dillashaw) the next couple of weeks to get him ready for his fight, and Cub (Swanson) and things like that. So I’ll still be in the gym no matter what.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.



from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/T8jOqiy
via IFTTT

Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Video: Oli Thompson lands devastating first-round knockout punch on Aleksei Oleinik in Russia

Aleksei Oleinik returned to action for the first time since his UFC exit, but things did not go in his favor. In the main event of REN TV Fight Club at Dynamo Volleyball Arena in Moscow, Russia, Oleinik (60-17-1 MMA) faced fellow UFC veteran Oli Thompson in a heavyweight bout. The result was a violent finish that left Oleinik staring up at the lights. Thompson (21-16 MMA) unleashed a crushing right hand that sent Oleinik crashing to the canvas with 35 seconds remaining in the opening round. Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter ): Oli Thompson destroys Alexey Oleynik with a massive right hand in the first round pic.twitter.com/AdWy25dQxR — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 26, 2023 Thompson, 43, returned to the win column for the first time since 2020, snapping a four-fight losing skid. His last victory was also a first-round stoppage; a 23-second knockout of Szymon Bajor at Fight Exclusive Night 28 on June 13, 2020. Oleinik, 45, competed in his final UFC bout in Octo...
Read more

Henry Cejudo: 'I still don't see Sean O'Malley as the best in the world' ahead of UFC 299

Henry Cejudo is not sold on Sean O'Malley as UFC bantamweight champion. O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) knocked out Aljamain Sterling to become 135-pound champion at UFC 292, whereas Cejudo is coming off a close title loss to Sterling at UFC 288 . O’Malley will make his first title defense against Marlon Vera in the UFC 299 headliner on March 9, and Cejudo is still adamant that “Chito” beats O’Malley again – despite being a sizable underdog. “I still don’t see Sean O’Malley as the best in the world,” Cejudo said on Daniel Cormier’s YouTube channel . “I don’t. I do believe ‘Chito’ Vera is going to beat him. You have good defense, you walk that dude down, you kick his freaking legs – he still has that wide leg – you kick his legs, you just bring the fight to him and grit. “This is what Sean O’Malley will do: He’ll look at the clock because he throws a lot of power. He is precise, but he throws a lot of it. I would bet the house on ‘Chito.’ Once I beat Merab (Dvalishvili), I’m goi...
Read more

Jim Miller had no problem accepting short-notice replacement Jared Gordon: 'Business as usual'

LAS VEGAS – With over 50 professional MMA fights, Jim Miller has been through it all, which has brought a level of comfort few have in this sport. That’s why when the UFC called with Jared Gordon as a replacement opponent for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 45, Miller (35-17 MMA, 24-16 UFC) had no problem saying yes. At this point, there’s little the UFC lightweight veteran hasn’t seen, and he expects to be ready Saturday. “(It’s) business as usual,” Miller told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 45 news conference. “That’s three in a row that opponents drop out like two weeks or less for the event. And I think it’s a total of nine times in my career with the UFC, so more like 25 percent. But yeah, business as usual. “I train to be the best fighter that I can be every out. At this point I’ve fought everybody from the top lanky 6’4” lefties, to guys my height, and righties and grapplers. So I just appreciated when guys are willing to step up because there are a lot of fighters that say...
Read more