Bellator 246

Bellator’s 2020 Fight of the Year

by
Juan Archuleta

It’s been a crazy and eventful 2020 for Bellator MMA. The promotion has had some real high spots, but they were also hit really hard by the pandemic. Back in March of this year, Bellator had to shut down their production.

Unlike the UFC, it took Bellator a few months to put together a system to come back. After shutting down around the same time, it took Bellator until July to make their return.

However, despite the late start, Bellator accomplished some major things in 2020. Most notably, the promotion became the first major MMA promotion to host an event in France after MMA’s legalization.

Considering the pandemic that was going on, this was a major accomplishment for Bellator. In addition to that, the promotion moved over to CBS Sports Network which was another big step for the promotion.

Bellator being on a sports network is a really big deal for the promotion moving forward. On top of those things, the promotion has made some major signings this year which has deepened their talent pool.

All of this has happened while the promotion has also put on some great fights. There have been so many good matchups since Bellator returned back in July. However, there’s one fight to me that sticks out as the promotion’s fight of the year.

Bellator’s Fight of the Year in 2020

After going back through 2020 for Bellator, there is one fight that stands out to me as the clear fight of the year. That would be the matchup for the vacant bantamweight championship between Juan Archuleta (25-2) and Patchy Mx (13-1).

This fight had a ton of steam behind it leading into Bellator 246. Archuleta was known as one of the very best in the promotion, however, he wasn’t able to quite grasp a Bellator championship.

He lost a featherweight title fight last year to Patricio Pitbull and he had been passed over for a bantamweight title fight. However, he finally got his shot at Bellator 246. The undefeated Patchy Mix stood in his way.

Mix is a sensational grappler who had finished nine of his thirteen wins by submission. This fight promised to deliver, and in my opinion it did just that. Early on in the fight, Mix dominated with his superior grappling.

However, the veteran savvy of Archuleta paid dividends in this one. As the Bellator 246 main event went on, Mix really started to fade from a cardio perspective. After getting outgrappled early, Archuleta completely took over in the later rounds.

Ultimately, Archuleta walked away with unanimous decision victory and the title of bantamweight champion. A classic back-and-forth title fight in an exciting division proved to be the best fight for Bellator in 2020.

Jon Fitch retires following Bellator 246 loss

by

This past weekend at Bellator 246, long time MMA vet Jon Fitch (32-8-2, 1 NC) decided to call it a career. The 42 year old Fitch has had a pretty decent career that has spanned eighteen years and has taken him all over the world.

Fitch appeared to be having fun at Bellator 246. He looked a lot loser, and appeared to be having a good time in the cage before getting caught in a submission. He seemed to be really comfortable with the decision to walking away from MMA and Bellator.

“I’m having fun, but at the same time, the body doesn’t react the way I want it to anymore. The recovery time is not the same…I think it’s a great time,” Fitch said to the media regarding his decision to call it a career.

UFC to WSOF to Bellator

Fitch might have been the most exciting fighter, but he will go down in history as a very good one. Before his final few fights in Bellator, Fitch made his name in the UFC. Fitch started his UFC career 8-0 before losing to Georges St. Pierre in his lone UFC title shot.

Fitch’s run in the UFC including wins over guys like Diego Sanchez, Paulo Thiago, Thiago Alves, and Erick Silva. Following some deputes with the UFC and a loss to Demian Maia, Fitch was cut. He then went to WSOF.

Fitch would go on to become WSOF/PFL welterweight champ which included a title defense over Jake Shields. He then made the move over to Bellator for the final three fights of his career. Fitch started out win a win over Paul Daley at Bellator 199.

Fitch then got a title match with Rory MacDonald which resulted in a draw. He took a year and a half off prior to Saturday’s fight at Bellator 246. Following his Heel Hook loss to Neiman Gracie, Fitch laid his gloves in the center of the cage and said that he was done.

Again, Jon Fitch might not have had the sexiest MMA career, but he was a very good fighter. He was effective and efficient the way he used his wrestling inside the cage. How will you remember the MMA career of Jon Fitch?

Bellator 246 Recap: Juan Archuleta captures the bantamweight title

by
Juan Archuleta

Tonight, Bellator hosted it’s second event in the last two days. A solid night was headlined by the vacant bantamweight title fight between Patrick “Patchy” Mix (13-0) and Juan Archuleta (24-2). This was one of the Bellator fights I was really looking forward to this year.

Both of these men are two of the very best that Bellator has to offer. Mix came in undefeated with extremely slick skills on the ground. Archuleta is a vet who has only lost once since 2015. Both men came in with a ton of momentum looking to become a Bellator champ.

Early Dominance from Patchy Mix

The main event of the evening was set to crown the new Bellator bantamweight champion. Patchy Mix and Juan Archuleta both came out ready to take the title and establish themselves as one of the best bantamweights in the world.

The first round really showed off the elite ground skills of Patchy Mix. Mix was able to get Archuleta down in the first round, and he controlled the majority of the round from Archuleta’s back. The second round saw much of the same.

The two fighters got into a grappling exchange early in the second, and Mix was able to secure the back again. In this round however, Archuleta was able to reverse the position with about one minute left in the round.

Archuleta had some good moments, but I had it 2-0 for Patchy Mix through two. The third round saw a complete switch in the momentum. Mix looked tired to start the third, and Archuleta really put his foot on the gas ripping shots to the head and the body.

Championship Experience pays off for Archuleta

The third round was a clear win for Archuleta. Mix had never been to a fourth round in his career, and it looked like it based on his energy levels to start the round. Archuleta was really stifling Mix with his level changes and speed. Archuleta even landed a takedown in the fourth round.

Patchy Mix did start to find his range late in the fourth, but the round still belonged to Archuleta. Mix did look like he was starting to catch a second wind as the fourth round came to a close. I had it 2-2 going into the final round.

Juan Archuleta put on a show in the final round of the fight. Archuleta unleashed a fury of devastating body shots the really seemed to hurt Mix throughout the round. Mix was game in the fifth, but Archuleta’s experience really paid off in the championship rounds.

I gave the fight 3-2 to Archuleta and all three judges agreed scoring the contest (49-46, 48-47, 48-47). Archuleta captures that Bellator championship that has alluded him. I would not be surprised if these two stood across from each other again in the future.

Bellator 246 Results

Bellator 246 saw former UFC title challenger, Liz Carmouche (14-7), make her promotional debut. She took on DeAnna Bennett (10-7-1). Carmouche had to deal with some adversity in the second round of the fight, but she went on to secure a Rear Naked Choke in the third round.

In the co-main event of the evening, Jon Fitch (32-8-2, 1 NC) took on Neiman Gracie (10-1). Fitch had moments in this one, but when you’re on the ground with a Gracie, bad things can happen. Gracie locked up a nice Heel Hook to secure his seventh Bellator submission victory.

Bellator 246 Preview: Juan Archuleta and Patrick Mix battle for the bantamweight title

by
Juan Archuleta

Saturday night, Bellator returns with a fantastic card with some tremendous fights. In the main event of the evening, the vacant bantamweight title is on the line as Juan Archuleta (24-2) takes on Patrick Mix (13-0).

These two are two of the very best that Bellator has to offer. The fight should be a fantastic matchup that MMA fans should be excited about. Bellator also has some very solid fights underneath the main event, but all eyes are on the bantamweight title fight.

Archuleta and Mix battle for bantamweight gold

I’m so pumped for this main event between Archuleta and Mix. They are fighting for the Bellator bantamweight title after the champion, Kyoji Horiguichi (28-3), vacated the title due to injury back in November.

Juan Archuleta started fighting less than ten years ago, yet he already has 26 professional fights. He’s very good on his feet with about half of his wins coming by knockout. However, Archuleta is comfortable wherever the fight goes.

The only man to have defeated Archuleta since 2015 is Bellator‘s current double champion, Patricio Pitbull. Archuleta has dreams of becoming the bantamweight and featherweight Bellator champion, but he fell short in his first crack at the featherweight crown.

Now, he will get his shot against Patrick Mix. There might not be a slicker fighter on the ground on the Bellator roster than 27 year old Patrick Mix. Mix will enter the Bellator cage undefeated at 13-0 and he’s on a eight fight finish streak.

Nine of Mix’s 13 wins have come via submission. His last four fights have all ended in the first round which included the first TKO of his career. Mix is a well rounded fighter, but there’s no question in where he wants this fight to go.

The fight is going to come down to where it takes place. While Mix can hold his own on the feet, if it stays standing, Archuleta has an advantage. The moment it touches the ground, Mix has a big advantage.

While I see a back and forth contest and I wouldn’t be shocked by either winning, I think Mix is going to pull off a submission in this one.

Prediction: Patrick Mix by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) – Round 3

The Rest of Bellator 246

The rest of the card is stacked with some very good fights. Jon Fitch (32-7) takes on Neiman Gracie (9-1) in the co-main event of the evening. Former two time UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche is making her Bellator debut tomorrow night.

I’m also interested in watching the undefeated Keoni Diggs (8-0) who’s taking on Derek Campos (20-10). Bellator has a very strong week this week with two cards, and this is an excellent way of finish things off.