Long-time Bellator standout and former Bantamweight Champion Eduardo Dantas is headed back to 145 lbs for his next fight.
Dantas (21-6) won the 135 pound title in June 2016, outpointing Marcos Galvao and remaining champion until Darrion Caldwell dethroned him in October 2017. Since then, Dantas has gone 1-1, initially being knocked out by Michael McDonald before rebounding with a Unanimous Decision over Toby Misech. He now returns to Featherweight for the first time in a decade, taking on Juan Archuleta at Bellator 222.
Archuleta (22-1) is unbeaten through four outings in the Bellator cage, putting together a 17 fight win streak overall. Most recently, 'The Spaniard' outpointed Ricky Bandejas but now looks to take a step towards title contention with a win over Dantas.
Bellator 222 takes place at Madison Square Garden on June 14th and will air exclusively on DAZN. The card's notable bouts can be found below:
Bellator Welterweight Championship
Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix Semi-Finals
Rory MacDonald (c) vs. Neiman Gracie
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Championship
Darrion Caldwell (c) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
Chael Sonnen vs. Lyoto Machida
Dillon Danis vs. Max Humphrey
Aaron Pico vs. Adam Borics
Eduardo Dantas vs. Juan Archuleta
Heather Hardy vs. Taylor Turner
Rena Kubota vs. Lindsey VanZandt
Ricky Bandejas vs. Patrick Mix
Robson Gracie vs. Oscar Vera
