PFL’s purchase of Bellator has brought a ton of uncertainty to many fighters signed by both organizations. However, for Juan Archuleta the concern is even bigger.
Archuleta is a special case. The MMA veteran has been fighting for Bellator since 2018 and has positioned himself as one of the more well-known names in the promotion, challenging for the Bellator featherweight title and becoming champion at bantamweight. In his latest career chapter, Bellator permitted Archuleta to fight in Japan under the Rizin Fighting Federation banner – a fight promotion that’s worked with Bellator over the years in both exchanging talent and having promotion vs. promotion events.
Archuleta has fought three times for Rizin and won the 135-pound title in July. He defends it on New Year’s Eve against Kai Asakura at Rizin 45 in Japan.
