Juan Archuleta is the new Bellator bantamweight champion after he beat Patchy Mix via unanimous decision at Bellator 246.
In a magnificent display of striking, Archuleta (25-2) was successful in his second bid for Bellator gold after losing to Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire in a featherweight title bout in 2019, with the judges scoring it unanimously for 'The Spaniard' (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Mix (13-1) who was entering the contest undefeated in MMA, impressed early on in the bout with takedowns in round one, searching for the rear-naked choke. However the tide turned in the third as Archuleta began to pick apart Mix with strikes from the outside and it was the same story in the championship rounds, as Mix seem to tire.
"After I lost my Pitbull fight I was so devastated," said Archuleta in his post-fight interview. "There was one man who pulled me out of the trenches and I owe this to him. Cub Swanson showed me how to battle through adversity and stick to a game-plan. It's the best birthday present I can give myself!"
Gracie submits Fitch, who retires after loss
In the co-main event, Neiman Gracie (10-1) defeated Jon Fitch (32-8-2, 1 NC) via a heel hook submission in round two of their welterweight clash. After the bout, Fitch left his gloves in the cage, signalling his retirement after nearly two decades of competition in MMA.
"It's been a long journey, my body's been through a lot. I have a lot of things I'm looking forward to in the future outside the cage, it's time to go," Fitch said.
Former UFC title contender Liz Carmouche (14-7) was victorious on her Bellator debut, but she didn't have it all her own way against DeAnna Bennett (10-7-1) in their flyweight contest. It looked all tied-up on the scorecards going into the third, but a well-executed rear-naked choke finished things off for Carmouche at the 3.17 mark.
And in the opening bout of the night, Keoni Diggs (9-0) caused the upset of the night as he put Derek Campos (20-11) to sleep with only one second left in the fight. Diggs remains undefeated in MMA with arguably his biggest win of his career so far.
Results:
Bellator 246: Archuleta vs. Mix Main Card:
Juan Archuleta (25-2) defeated Patchy Mix (13-1) via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
Neiman Gracie (10-1) defeated Jon Fitch (32-8-2, 1 NC) via submission (heel hook) at 4:47 of round two
Liz Carmouche (14-7) defeated DeAnna Bennett (10-7-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:17 of round three
Keoni Diggs (9-0) defeated Derek Campos (20-11) via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:59 of round three
Preliminary Card:
Daniel Madrid (18-6) defeated Pat Casey (6-3) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Ty Gwerder (5-1) defeated Tuco Tokkos (4-2) via TKO at 1:05 of round three
Davion Franklin (2-0) defeated Ras Hylton (6-5) via technical decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)