UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator’s light heavyweight tournament has reached its final four, and already some people are thinking ahead to what division could be next to get the promotion’s grand prix treatment.
After Sergio Pettis (21-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) outworked Juan Archuleta (25-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) to win the bantamweight title in the Bellator 258 main event this past Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., Bellator president Scott Coker was bullish on the division.
And though he wouldn’t go so far as to guarantee bantamweight will be the next Bellator grand prix, he said the quality of fighters at 135 pounds makes it enticing.
“The (next) grand prix hasn’t been determined, but what I will say is if you look at the quality of fighters in this division, it’s stacked,” Coker said in his post-event news conference. “I think of fighters like Magomed Magomedov. I think about the two gentlemen, (Pettis and Archuleta), who just fought tonight. I think about (former champion) Kyoji Horiguchi coming in.
“And when you start stacking this division and all the young talent we have coming up, it’s going to be a formidable division. And whether it’s our tournament or not, that’s undetermined. We’re focusing on the light heavyweight tournament right now, and we’ll decide what we do maybe come September.”
Along with new champ Pettis and now former champ Archuleta, the bantamweight division includes another pair of winning fighters from Bellator 258 in Patchy Mix and Raufeon Stots – both of whom called out arguably the most sought-after name in the weight class, James Gallagher.
Archuleta won Bellator’s vacant title in September 2020 with a unanimous decision over Mix. His loss to Pettis, who spent years in the UFC before debuting with Bellator in Jaunary 2020, came in his first attempted title defense.
Pettis became a Bellator champion in just his third fight with the promotion. His older brother Anthony is a former UFC and WEC champion who now fights in the PFL.
Scott Coker says bantamweight could be next on Bellator’s grand prix horizon
