In a 135-pound division lacking a champion, Juan Archuleta and Patrick Mix met at Bellator 246 to crown a new king.
Bellator 246: “Archuleta vs. Mix” took place Sept. 12, 2020, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. In the final Bellator MMA card to air on Paramount Network, the promotion sought to fill a championship vacancy at Bantamweight by having Patrick Mix (13-0) and “The Spaniard” Juan Archuleta (24-2) face off for five rounds.
Mix certainly had momentum coming into the main event. “Patchy” had finished three straight fights in 2019 with first round submissions. In a very short amount of time, Mix had paired high-level wrestling with incredible dedication to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and no opponent to date had been able to slow his roll.
Archuleta had more than just an experience advantage on Mix though. The former King of the Cage standout had been a champion in four different weight classes, and although he lost to Patricio Freire at Bellator 228 in his first shot at Bellator gold, it felt like he’d be in the mix (no pun intended) again sooner or later — it just turned out to be at 135 pounds.
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