Juan Archuleta

Juan Archuleta (born September 13, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight divisions of Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation, where in the latter promotion, he is the former Rizin Bantamweight Champion. A professional MMA competitor since 2013, he has also previously fought for King of the Cage and the World Series of Fighting. Archuleta is also a former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion.

Background Archuleta was born in Hesperia, California, and is of Spanish and Mexican descent. Archuleta's background is in folkstyle wrestling. In high school, he was a state championship qualifier at Sultana High School. He moved on to Sacramento City College where he became a junior college All-American, and finally he transferred to Purdue University where he wrestled at the NCAA Division I level. In January 2021, he was promoted to purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by his teacher Philipe Furão.

Mixed martial arts career King of the Cage After going 12–1 on the regional circuit, Archuleta then began fighting for the King of the Cage promotion. In his first fight with the promotion, Archuleta claimed the KOTC featherweight title when he finished former UFC fighter Chris Tickle in the second round via technical knockout. Archuleta also went on to become KOTC bantamweight, lightweight, and light welterweight champion.

Bellator MMA After a successful run in King of the Cage, Archuleta signed with Bellator MMA. He made his promotional debut at Bellator 195 against William Joplin. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

His next bout came against Robbie Peralta at Bellator 201 on June 29, 2018. He won the bout via knockout in the third round.

Archuleta next faced Jeremy Spoon at Bellator 210 on November 30, 2018. He won via unanimous decision.

Archuleta's next bout took place on January 26, 2019, against Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 214. He won via unanimous decision.

In his next bout, Archuleta faced former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 222 on June 14, 2019. Archuleta was victorious via knockout at 4:59 of round 2.

For his next fight, Archuleta entered the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix and in the opening round, he received a Featherweight title shot against champion Patrício Freire at Bellator 228 on September 28, 2019. He lost via unanimous decision.

Archuleta then faced Henry Corrales at Bellator 238 on January 25, 2020. He was victorious via unanimous decision.

Bellator MMA Bantamweight World Champion Archuleta returned to the bantamweight division to face Patchy Mix for the vacant Bellator Bantamweight World Championship on September 12, 2020, at Bellator 246. He won the bout via unanimous decision to become Bellator Bantamweight world champion.

Archuleta made his first title defense against Sergio Pettis at Bellator 258 on May 7, 2021. He lost the bout and the title via unanimous decision.

Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix Archuleta, replacing the injured Sergio Pettis, faced Raufeon Stots for the Interim Bellator Bantamweight World Championship on April 23, 2022, at Bellator 279. Archuleta lost the bout after getting knocked out by a head kick and then finished on the ground with elbows at the beginning of the third round.

Post Grand Prix; Rizin FF Archuleta faced Enrique Barzola on October 1, 2022, at Bellator 286. At weigh ins, the bout was moved to a catchweight of 141 pounds. In a fast paced bout, Archuleta won the bout via unanimous decision.

Archuleta faced former Road FC and ONE Championship Bantamweight Champion Soo Chul Kim at Bellator MMA vs. Rizin on December 31, 2022. In a close back and forth bout, Archuleta came out of it with a split decision victory.

Archuleta was booked to face Naoki Inoue at Rizin 42 on May 6, 2023. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Rizin Bantamweight World Champion Archuleta was next expected to face former Rizin Bantamweight Champion Kai Asakura for the vacant Rizin Bantamweight Championship as part of the Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 card on July 30, 2023. However on July 18 it was announced that Asakura withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Hiromasa Ougikubo. Archuleta won the bout via unanimous decision.

For his first title defense, Archuleta faced Kai Asakura on December 31, 2023, at Rizin 45. At the weigh-ins, Archuleta weighed in at 140.65 pounds, 5.65 pounds over the limit. As a result, Archuleta was stripped of the title and only Asakura was eligible to win it. Archuleta lost the bout via TKO in the second round.

In his next bout, Archuleta faced former Rizin Featherweight Champion Kleber Koike Erbst in a featherweight bout at Rizin 47 on June 9, 2024. He lost the bout via an inverted heel hook submission in the first round.

Archuleta faced Razhabali Shaydullaev at Rizin 48 on September 29, 2024, and lost the bout via armbar submission in the first round.

Personal life After being deemed academically ineligible to continue wrestling at Purdue University, Archuleta succumbed to alcohol addiction and crime. He eventually served a prison stint prior to becoming a mixed martial artist.

Championships and awards Bellator MMA Bellator Bantamweight World Championship (One time) Rizin Fighting Federation RIZIN Bantamweight Championship (One time) King of the Cage KOTC Lightweight Championship (One time) KOTC Featherweight Championship (One time) Three successful title defenses KOTC Bantamweight Championship (One time) KOTC Light Welterweight Championship (One time) California Fight League CFL Featherweight Championship (One time) Tru-Form Entertainment TFE Featherweight Championship (One time) Gladiator Challenge GC Bantamweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record Win

Jose Johnson Submission (rear-naked choke) Borroka Presents: XFC 53

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Dennis Linton KO (flying knee) Borroka Promotion 3

Laughlin, Nevada, United States Loss

Razhabali Shaydullaev Submission (armbar) Rizin 48

Saitama, Japan Loss

Kleber Koike Erbst Submission (inverted heel hook) Rizin 47

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Kai Asakura TKO (knee to the body and punches) Rizin 45

Saitama, Japan Win

Hiromasa Ougikubo Decision (unanimous) Super Rizin 2

Saitama, Japan Win

Naoki Inoue Decision (unanimous) Rizin 42

Tokyo, Japan Win

Soo Chul Kim Decision (split) Bellator MMA vs. Rizin

Saitama, Japan Win

Enrique Barzola Decision (unanimous) Bellator 286

Long Beach, California, United States Loss

Raufeon Stots KO (head kick and elbows) Bellator 279

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Loss

Sergio Pettis Decision (unanimous) Bellator 258

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Patchy Mix Decision (unanimous) Bellator 246

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Henry Corrales Decision (unanimous) Bellator 238

Inglewood, California, United States Loss

Patrício Freire Decision (unanimous) Bellator 228

Inglewood, California, United States Win

Eduardo Dantas KO (punch) Bellator 222

New York City, New York, United States Win

Ricky Bandejas Decision (unanimous) Bellator 214

Inglewood, California, United States Win

Jeremy Spoon Decision (unanimous) Bellator 210

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Win

Robbie Peralta KO (punches) Bellator 201

Temecula, California, United States Win

William Joplin Decision (unanimous) Bellator 195

Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Win

Mark Dickman TKO (retirement) KOTC: Conquistadores

Ontario, California, United States Win

Adel Altamimi TKO (punches) KOTC: Never Quit

Ontario, California, United States Win

Vytautas Sadauskas Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Baltic Tour

Kaunas, Lithuania Win

Brandon Hastings TKO (punches) KOTC: Supernova

Ontario, California, United States Win

Derrick Mandell Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Warranted Aggression

Ontario, California, United States Win

Jay Bogan TKO (retirement) California Fight League 9

California, United States Win

Jordan Griffin Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Destructive Intent

Washington, Pennsylvania, United States Win

Chris Tickle TKO (punches) KOTC: Firefight

San Jacinto, California, United States Win

Emilio Chavez Decision (unanimous) SMASH Global 3

Los Angeles, California, United States Win

Luis Guerra TKO (punches) Tru-Form Entertainment: No Fear

Sullivan, Indiana, United States Win

Andrew Natividiad Decision (unanimous) California Fight League 5

Fort Irwin, California, United States Win

Alfred Khashakyan Decision (unanimous) Lights Out / Bash Entertainment Fight Night At Sportsmen's Lodge 4

Los Angeles, California, United States Win

Alex Valdez Submission (Brabo choke) Gladiator Challenge: Collision Course

Lincoln, California, United States Loss

Andres Ponce Submission (triangle choke) WSOF 19

Phoenix, Arizona, United States Win

Ralph Acosta Decision (split) Gladiator Challenge: Season's Beatings

Rancho Mirage, California, United States Win

Valentino Beatty TKO (punches) Gladiator Challenge: Carnage

Lincoln, California, United States Win

Casey Doyle TKO (punches) Gladiator Challenge: Payback

San Jacinto, California, United States Win

Justin Santistevan TKO (punches) Gladiator Challenge: Night of Champions

Rancho Mirage, California, United States Win

David Duran Decision (unanimous) BAMMA USA: Badbeat 10

Commerce, California, United States