LOS ANGELES – [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] has never been a man to back away from a challenge, and even though his gung-ho approach may have ended up costing him a run in the Bellator featherweight grand prix, he was happy to have taken the route he did.
Archuleta (23-2 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) called for a fight against reigning featherweight champion Patricio Freire in the first round of the tournament, but ultimately came up short on the scorecards after an all-action battle. Despite his early exit, “The Spaniard” says he wouldn’t have approached it any other way.
“It was awesome,” he told MMA Junkie during media day ahead of his fight with Henry Corrales at Bellator 238. “I wanted to go big first, and sometimes you get to hit a home run and it pays off. But it still paid off for me. Looking at the positives, I had Cub Swanson lifting me up straight after the fight because I was super down on myself. But it motivated me to keep pushing forward to get over the loss and take it as a learning lesson, and that’s what it’s been. Now I’m ready to move forward, and what better way to move forward than with Henry Corrales, a good banging fight to go out there and be able to dictate the game plan I had with ‘Pitbull,’ because it’s a similar style fight.”
Archuleta and Corrales (17-4 MMA, 5-4 BMMA) both exited the tournament at the first-round stage, but both may easily have found themselves in the quarter-finals had the first-round pairings been matched up differently. Now the pair are set to face off in a bout that Archuleta says will help kick off a busy year for him inside the Bellator cage.
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“Oh yeah, very easily. I could have had him first round,” he said. “So I think I’m going to stay active in this division and just in case someone pulls out, I’m able to take someone’s place. I’m trying to fight multiple times and be ready. This year’s going to be a big year for me. I’m looking to fight six times, five times – whatever Bellator are going to give me.”
That desire to fight multiple times has been a hallmark of Archuleta’s career, and he admitted that it initially left him a little frustrated with being forced to ease back on his relentless schedule, but he has become more aware of the difficulties, with his desire to fight so frequently needing to fit into the bigger picture of Bellator’s global plan.
“When I signed with Bellator, that’s what I told them,” he said. “One year, I fought six times. Another year, I fought seven times – and in all different weight classes. I’m willing to do that. It’s like they caged me, and I’m like, ‘Come on, man! Let me pursue this route.’
“I don’t need to fight for a title, but I want to fight the big fights, fight the big names and have fun with it. This is a fun sport. I’ve done it before, like Conor (McGregor) and all these other guys, and captured titles first in these weight classes before these guys. They’re pulling the reins back, and it sucks a little bit. But I get it, you know? They have a lot of (expletive) going on, too. I’m not the only fighter on the roster, so they have things going, and things have to add up.”
Archuleta, who said he could fight in any division from 135 to 170 pounds, is focusing on life at featherweight for now, and is looking forward to producing a crowd-pleasing scrap against an all-action opponent in Corrales on Saturday at The Forum.
“I have a game plan, but who the hell knows, right?” he grinned. “If Henry hits me as hard as (expletive), I might abort my game plan and start slugging it out with him, you know? The game plan is to go out there, dictate my style, wear him down, have fun, perform, put on an exciting show for the fans.”
It looks set to be one of the most exciting bouts of the night, and Archuleta said that his reputation for delivering excitement on fight night means the pressure to win has eased off a tad, and he can simply focus on putting on his best performance for the fans.
“I feel like I’ve built my brand now. People don’t care if I win or lose at this point,” he said. “They know they’re going to tune in and see Juan fight. They know that I’m gonna push the pace. They know that I’m gonna bring the fight. I can take a hit and keep going forward. I’m not going to back out once I get hit. And Henry’s the same way, so this fight is going to be badass. I can’t wait.”
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