Archie Coglan, who trains alongside the likes of Justin Gaethje and Kamaru Usman, brings his undefeated record to Bellator Paris at the Accor Arena this Friday.
There, he faces UFC alum Thibault Gouti, who boasts more than twice the experience than the 9-0 Coglan.
Coming off wins over two other veterans in Peter Buist and Emmanuel Sanchez, Coglan sees his latest foe in the same vein.
“He’s right up that same category, list as those guys. Sanchez had 29 fights, and Buist had, I don’t know exactly how many fights he had but he was like 17-8,” Coglan said during this week’s Bellator Paris media day, speaking to journalists including Cageside Press. “And his record was similar to that. So he’s in that same category as these guys, well-seasoned veteran, good fighter, been all over the place. He’s maybe a little bit more dangerous because he’s coming off a knockout win.”
Coglan is looking to secure gold in Bellator’s lightweight division, currently ruled over by Usman Nurmagomedov, before all is said and done. For the Eagle FC vet, a promotion run by the Bellator champ’s cousin Khabib, claiming gold in Bellator would be something special, especially given the uncertainty around the promotion’s future.
“It’s a prestigious position to be in, to say that you’re a champion of Bellator. It’s unlike any other, there’s only a couple of other organizations that are as known as it in mixed martial arts. So to say that you held that belt— especially because we all know that in the coming years that’s not going to be a thing, it’s eventually going to dissolve all into the PFL— so to say that I was champion of this organization, I have that belt at my house that nobody else can obtain because it’s gone now, that sounds good to me.”
As for what he needs to do to secure such an opportunity, it comes down to more than just winning.
“I haven’t lost a round. In my pro career so far, nine fights, I haven’t lost a single round. But finishes draw people in more, and I just need to get back to that,” Coglan noted. “Not at all forced, not trying to put myself in any bad positions to get there, but I need to go out there and make statements and make highlights and people will start to watch more, tune in more.”
Watch the full Bellator Paris media day appearance by Archie Coglan above.
