Bellator 258 Preview

Juan Archuleta will defend his bantamweight crown against Sergio Pettis on Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Anthony Johnson will make his Bellator debut and SBG’s Peter Queally returns to the Bellator cage for the first time since 2019.

Heavy hitting Juan Archuleta was awarded the vacant bantamweight title when he notched up a decision victory over Patchy Mix at Bellator 246. Archuleta moved down from the featherweight division in what proved to be a worthwhile decision. His first defence of that title will be a huge test.

Sergio Pettis put a shine on his Bellator debut when he pulled off a submission in the first round against Alfred Khashakyan. At Bellator 242 Pettis got the nod winning a convincing decision over Ricky Bandejas. I think that Pettis will be confident coming into this fight. He has been in some big fights and fought against some of the very best.

Archuleta is no joke, he carries some massive power and never takes a back step. Pettis will need to thread carefully in the striking exchanges and his game plan should be to fight on the outside. Pettis is quicker and technically better on the feet. I can see this fight going all the way with a new champion being crowned.

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson returns after last competing in 2017. Rumble will take on Jose Augusto, who comes into this fight on short notice. Yoel Romero was forced to pull out with an injury but thankfully Johnson found himself an opponent. Both of these guys like to finish their fights, and I don’t expect this fight to go the distance.

Ireland’s own Peter Queally returns to the Bellator cage of the back of his sensational win over Ryan Scope all the way back in 2019. This fight for Queally is the biggest fight of his career. There is no quit in the Waterford man, he will have to use all that grit and heart facing a veteran as good as Pitbull. A win over Patricky Pitbull could very well see Queally get a shot at the lightweight title. Really excited to see “The Showstopper” back in action.

Michael Page and Derek Anderson will finally square off at a catchweight of 175 lbs. The pair were matched back in 2019 but Anderson was forced out of the fight with an injury. I always enjoy watching MVP as the Londoner puts on a show. This is a winnable fight for Page, I would expect that he would be disappointed if he didn’t get the knockout.

On the prelims card Josh Hill and Raufeon Stots will go to battle in the bantamweight division. Lorenz larkin squares off against Rafael Carvalho at 185 pounds. Patchy Mix will take on Albert Moralesat 135 pounds after the withdrawal of James Gallagher. Erik Perez also found himself an opponent after Brian Moore was forced to pull out of their scheduled bantamweight bout. The Mexican fighter will now take on Bellator newcomer Blaine Shutt.

Check out the official fight card and broadcast details below.

Main Card: (SHOWTIME / Virgin Media Sports 9 p.m. ET)

Bantamweight Title: Juan Archuleta (25-2) vs. Sergio Pettis (20-5)
Light Heavyweight WGP: Anthony Johnson (22-6) vs. Jose Augusto (7-2, 1 NC)
Lightweight Bout:Patricky Pitbull (23-9) vs. Peter Queally (12-5-1)
175 lbs Catchweight: Michael Page (18-1) vs. Derek Anderson (17-3, 1 NC)
 

Preliminary Card: (Bellator YouTube Channel / SHOWTIME Sports YouTube Channel 5:30 p.m. ET)

Bantamweight Bout: Josh Hill (20-3) vs. Raufeon Stots (15-1)
Middleweight Bout: Lorenz Larkin (22-7, 1 NC) vs. Rafael Carvalho (16-5)
Bantamweight Bout: Patchy Mix (13-1) vs. Albert Morales (10-6-1)
Welterweight Bout: Logan Storley (11-1) vs. Omar Hussein (8-2)
Middleweight Bout: Johnny Eblen (7-0) vs. Daniel Madrid (18-6)
Bantamweight Bout: Henry Corrales (18-5) vs. Johnny Campbell (20-13-1 NC)
Featherweight Bout: Weber Almeida (5-0) vs. Johnny Soto (3-1)
Bantamweight Bout: Erik Perez (19-8) vs. Blaine Shutt (8-4)