Juan Archuleta just gave himself the best birthday present possible — the Bellator bantamweight championship of the world.
The "Spaniard" overcame relentless submission attempts from Patrick Mix over the first two rounds to attack the body enough to edge him on the scorecards. Judges had it 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 all in favor of Archuleta, who walked out of the cage at Bellator 246 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with the bantamweight title in tow minutes after turning 33.
Following the victory during the wee hours of Sunday morning, Archuleta thanked fellow MMA fighter and training partner, Cub Swanson, for helping him to regain his focus following his loss to Patricio Freire last September.
"After I lost my Pitbull fight, I was so devastated," a victorious Archuleta said in the cage. "There was one man that pulled me out of the trenches and I owe this to him. Cub Swanson, he showed me how to battle through adversity, how to fight someone that was an undefeated jiu-jitsu fighter, stick to a game plan. He said 'I promise you, you fight like that, you're walking away with the title.'"
Well, Archuleta fought like that and then some, weathering the submission attempt storm from Mix over the first two rounds. The previously undefeated Mix took Archuleta's back and did everything in his power to secure a submission over the first 10 minutes. However, Archuleta remained calm and found his way out of all four submission attempts.
Then, in the third round, the former featherweight, got on his bike and created enough space to pepper Mix with clean shots — mostly to the body. The strategy worked, as the bigger Mix kept moving forward, but while also leaving his longer frame open to more punishment. The fourth round saw more of the same, as Archuleta banged away at Mix's body, with the latter slowing down and clearly showing the effects of absorbing that kind of punishment.
Archuleta opened the fifth and final round by punching Mix's body up some more with straight rights and lefts that went largely unanswered. Toward the end of the bout, Archuleta mushed Mix up against the cage in an attempt to buy a breather, but threw in a vicious elbow across the face for good measure. Owning the final three rounds was more than enough to take the fight and title, while handing Mix his first loss.
Co-main event: Neiman Gracie gets second-round submission (knee bar) of Jon Fitch; Welterweight
Gracie worked hard for a submission and got it late in the second round when he cinched in a knee bar in cramped quarters against the cage to make Fitch tap out.
Following the loss, Fitch left his gloves in the middle of the cage to signify his retirement.