Juan Archuleta’s sophomore outing in Bellator could not have gone better — despite a family emergency earlier in the evening.
If you weren’t familiar with Juan Archuleta before Bellator 201, you likely will be now. The featherweight stole the show in Temecula, California on Friday night. While there were plenty of action-packed fights on the card, none were as downright crazy as the one ‘The Spaniard’ put on with Robbie Peralta. It’s not surprising, as the surging fighter trains with the likes of T.J. Dillashaw, Cub Swanson, and even Dan Henderson.
BOOM 💥
Featherweight @jarchmma goes full beast mode at #Bellator201 to get the finish and move his record to 19-1! pic.twitter.com/XE0KfuCBKu
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 30, 2018
Incredibly, Archuleta, now on a fifteen fight winning streak, was also dealing with a health scare with his daughter prior to the bout. His kids were at a vocational bible school, and while the featherweight was headed to the arena, he got a call about his daughter.
“She was not responding, she was staring off in space. It was nerve wracking,” Archuleta explained. “I was like ‘lets go, lets go out there.’ When we were on the phone, she still wasn’t responding. And then she snaps out of it.” While his daughter had come around, obviously there was still concern. “What broke my heart the most, you know was hearing her voice. Saying she wanted to come home, she wanted Daddy. I was like ‘I’m not fighting tonight, there’s no way.’ She’s like ‘well let me call my mom.’ So my wife’s mom went there, her grandma picked her up.”
Luckily she did snap out of it in the end, which gave Archuleta a little more peace of mind. He believes the desert heat, and possible dehydration, may have played a role.
Archuleta, of course, went on to put on a clinic against UFC veteran Robbie Peralta. A third round KO capped of an impressive performance. And at fifteen straight wins and a 19-1 record, a lot of eyes will be on him moving forward. Archuleta, however, isn’t in any rush, and figures he has another fight before he really hits the top of the division.
That said, “I’m definitely going to make waves” Archuleta promised. “It feels like I’m almost naked right now. Because my whole career, I’ve fought for titles. Being here in Bellator is not going to be any different.”
