Los Angeles, CA — Juan Archuleta returns to the Bellator cage this weekend for the first time since being bounced from the featherweight grand prix. In the opening round, Archuleta had the opportunity to challenge for the 145lb title against Patricio Pitbull. He came up short, seeing his 18-fight win streak snapped in the process.
On what he took from the Patricio Freire fight, Archuleta (23-2) told Cageside Press ahead of Saturday’s Bellator 238 that he’s “in a great position.”
“You’re never in a bad position coming from a title fight whether you win or lose,” he opined. “You just build off of it, you take you experiences and keep moving forward.”
Archuleta is back at featherweight at Bellator 238, against Henry Corrales. However, there’s always another option for the California native.
“I built my career off going from 135lbs all the way to 160lbs in King of the Cage, and I’ve been trying to do it in this organization,” he said. “You know I’ve fought at 135 already, got a win over [Ricky] Bandejas and called out [Kyoji] Horiguchi after I knocked out [Eduardo] Dantas so anything is possible. Right now I’m focused on Henry; after this fight we sit back and we see where we go, 55, 34 or 45 again an keep moving forward.”
It’s Corrales for now, however, a fight that came together rather quickly. “I was supposed to fight in December for Rizin and that fell though, and I was like ‘well it looks like I’m not going to fight.’ However, when Bellator offered Corrales in Los Angeles, Archuleta was game.
When it comes to making weight on time, Archuleta explained that “I’m always in the gym, helping my training partners to get ready for their fights.” Which means he’s always ready to fight. “I’ll fight whenever, I’m always ready to fight, I’m always ready to go out there and perform at any weight class,” he said.
“Just give me a heads up and let me know if I need to drop the extra weight, but I’m always ready. I’m a professional athlete, I’m an idiot if I’m not in the gym all of the time,” he added. “This is a different game now a days and you have to be in the gym 24/7 in order to stay active in order to reach the top.”
There’s a little more on the line against Corrales, ‘The Spaniard’ noted. That’s because Corrales has “beaten five of my teammates. I definitely need to avenge some of these losses. So I mean yeah he has the bragging rights right now, about taking out my training partners, taking out my teammates. So Im looking to go out there and avenge some losses.”
Archuleta recognizes that Corrales is a fighter who “goes out there and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He goes out there and throws down.” Which means “you know that you’re in for brawl.” That’s what Archuleta seems to envision. A brawl, a war, and “15 minutes of chaos.”
Juan Archuleta and Henry Corrales face off at Bellator 238 this Saturday, January 25, 2020 at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA.
