Matchmaking For the Winners/Losers of Bellator 258

Bellator 258 Main Event: Sergio Pettis def. Juan Archuleta Via Unanimous Decision

It was a phenomenal night for Sergio Pettis at Bellator 258, winning the Bellator Bantamweight Championship at his first time of asking. One judge scored the contest 50-45 to Pettis, which seemed extremely harsh on Juan Archuleta. The other two scored the bout 49-46. With Pettis the new champion, he certainly has plenty of options with his next challenger.

Firstly, let’s talk about the potential rematch between the pair. The judges’ scorecards don’t really show how close the fight was. It was a back and forth bout, but Pettis seemed to edge it in areas, looking like the more threatening fighter. A matchup could be possible, but maybe Archuleta has to go out and beat someone else first to prove himself.

Patchy Mix may have lost to Archuleta at Bellator 246, but he put in a great performance last night to show his quality ground-game submitting Albert Morales. With Mix being second ranked, they may skip the matchup against James Gallagher, and give Mix another shot at the title.

Other names could see Magomed Magomedov, who had an impressive win over C.J. Hamilton last month, or Raufeon Stots who outclassed Josh Hill last night at Bellator 258 given a shot at the title.

For Archuleta, he could also face names like Magomedov or Stots. A bounce-back victory over one of those would more than likely see him fight again for the title straight away. There could even be the possibility of a matchup with Gallagher, if Mix gets the title shot. So, plenty of exciting potential contests in the bantamweight division.

Bellator 258 Co-Main Event: Anthony Johnson def. Jose Augusto via 2nd Round TKO/KO

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson returned to MMA for the first time in four years at Bellator 258, with a brilliant knockout over his opponent Jose Augusto in the Light-Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final. Augusto took the fight on a week’s notice after replacing the injured Yoel Romero.

For Johnson, his next matchup is already set, with him facing the champion Vadim Nemkov in the semi-final of the Grand-Prix. The 37-year-old faces 28-year-old Nemkov, who is currently in the prime of his career and on a six-fight win-streak in Bellator. It’s an extremely tough test for Johnson who will certainly be the underdog going into the bout.

Augusto put in a brave performance, and for a minute he was inches away from finishing “Rumble”. He caught Johnson with a left hook then a right to drop him inside the first round, but Johnson recovered to save himself from being finished on his promotional debut. A beautiful right-hook from Johnson was enough to see off Augusto in the second round.

The Brazilian is only 1-1 in the promotion, with Johnson handing him his first loss since 2014. If Augusto is looking for a ranked fighter, a matchup with Melvin Manhoef would be interesting. Manhoef last fought in November 2020, in a fight that saw him getting knocked out by Corey Anderson.

Some other options could see American Alex Polizzi, who lost his last bout to Julius Anglickas and he’s also 1-1 in the promotion. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, who lost one of the quarter-finals to Anderson, could be a tasty matchup for both fighters to bounce back from.

Peter Queally def. Patricky Pitbull Via TKO (Doctor Stoppage)

At the end of the second round, the doctor called a halt to the bout after Patricky Pitbull was pouring with blood from a ruthless elbow from Peter Queally. After defeating Patricky, Queally has asked for the title shot, to face the other sibling, Patricio Pitbull, who currently holds the lightweight belt.

With Queally defeating Patricio’s brother, there’s a good chance he will look to avenge Patricky by facing the Irishman. The person who could potentially get in the way of the bout is number 1 ranked Brent Primus. The former lightweight champion lost his title to Michael Chandler in 2018, after winning the title against him in the first matchup in 2017. Primus has fought twice since and came away with two first-round submissions. We could see a title eliminator fight between Queally and Primus before anything.

Patricky currently has the second-most wins in the division, and he’ll without a doubt get a good fight next for him to try and bounce back, after looking the better fighter before the doctor stoppage last night. It’s not 100 percent whether a rematch would be on the cards with Queally, but we still have to leave it as a possibility.

Other options could see 3rd ranked Goiti Yamauchi, who lost his last bout to Dan Moret. Benson Henderson could look to return to lightweight after his defeat to Jason Jackson in welterweight.

Michael Page def. Derek Anderson Via TKO (Doctor Stoppage)

Due to a broken nose from a stunning kick to the face from Michael “Venom” Page, the fight couldn’t continue after the first five minutes were up. Derek Anderson’s nose looked like nothing we’ve seen before after the kick to the face couldn’t have landed more perfect.

Page stated he will face anyone in his post-fight interview, as he looks to bag another win before another shot at the title. Current welterweight champion Douglas Lima faces the undefeated Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 260 for the belt. Page mentioned Jackson as a potential matchup, which seems most likely for there next bouts. Jackson defeated Neiman Gracie on a unanimous decision last month, which now see’s him ranked third, one below MVP in the welterweight rankings.

Anderson was on a three-fight win-streak before losing to Page. If he wants to compete at 175 pounds again, Paul Daley was looking for someone who would compete at the weight, so a matchup between these two would be an exciting one. Swede Oliver Enkamp is 3-0 since joining Bellator in 2019, it would be a good opportunity for Enkamp to face a ranked opponent and work his way towards a title shot.

Do you agree with the potential matchups from Bellator 258? Let us know in the comments below!

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Featured Image Credits to Bellator MMA

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