5 Things You Might Not Know About Juan Archuleta

Juan Archuleta once again appears poised to pick up steam in the Bellator MMA bantamweight division—a weight class he ruled from Sept. 12, 2020 to May 7, 2021.

The 35-year-old Californian will lock horns with former One Championship titleholder Soo Chul Kim as part of the Bellator-Rizin Fighting Federation co-promotion at Rizin 40 on Saturday at the Saitama, Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Archuleta has rattled off three victories across his past five appearances. He last competed at Bellator 286, where he rebounded from a knockout loss to Raufeon Stots with a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” Season 2 winner Enrique Barzola in their three-round encounter on Oct. 1.

As Archuleta makes final preparations for his forthcoming battle with Kim, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He was shaped by the singlet.

Archuleta was a three-time state qualifier as a prep wrestler at Sultana High School in Hesperia, California, just outside of Los Angeles. He went on to earn All-America honors at Sacramento City College and then transferred to Purdue University, where he compiled a 43-27 record for the Boilermakers before being ruled academically ineligible.

2. Some might call him a late bloomer.

“The Spaniard” arrived on the mixed martial arts scene at the age of 25. Archuleta made his pro debut at a BAMMA USA event on Aug. 9, 2013, when he took a three-round unanimous decision from David Duran. He started his career 5-0 before submitting to a triangle choke from Andres Ponce under the World Series of Fighting banner in March 2015.

3. Steppingstones line his trophy case.

Archuleta was a four-division champion in the King of the Cage organization. He held titles at 135, 145, 155 and 165 pounds, using those reigns as a springboard to signing with Bellator.

4. His itinerary has been light on international travel.

The Joe Stevenson protégé has fought only once outside of the United States during his 30-fight career. Archuleta retained the King of the Cage featherweight championship with a five-round unanimous decision over Vytautas Sadauskas on April 8, 2017 in Kaunas, Lithuania.

5. Arbiters admire his work.

Archuleta has gone the distance 16 times as a professional and carries a stellar 14-2 record in those bouts. The lone outliers? A five-round unanimous decision defeat to Patricio Freire at Bellator 228 in 2019 and a five-round unanimous decision loss to Sergio Pettis at Bellator 258 in 2021.