Bellator 258 fight card: Things to know about each bout on the main card from Connecticut

On Friday, the Bellator cage lands in Uncasville, Connecticut once again for Bellator 258 from the Mohegan Sun Arena. In the main event, Juan Archuleta will put the Bellator bantamweight championship on the line against former UFC fighter Sergio Pettis.

In the night’s co-main event, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson returns to action for the first time in more than four years, facing Jose Augusto in the first round of the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Augusto is stepping in on short-notice for the opportunity to advance to the tournament semifinals and face champion Vadim Nemkov with the title on the line.

It’s easy to get lost in the minutiae of a big event. So we’re here to help give you a concise outlook of what to expect and what to know for every main card fight. Let’s take a closer look at what to expect on Friday when the action goes down at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.

Main card

Michael Page vs. Derek Anderson, 175-pound catchweight

• Last three results: Page – W,W,W | Anderson – W,W,W
• Page: One of the most exciting strikers in Bellator with 14 finishes in 18 victories
• Anderson: A steady competitor currently riding his first three-fight winning streak in Bellator

Page (18-1) is one of the flashiest fighters in the sport, almost always ready to put on a show by throwing whatever strike pops into his head. He has found plenty of success with his high-risk approach to fighting, though has been knocked for maintaining a relatively low level of opposition in his Bellator career. In the biggest step up of Page’s career, he suffered a crushing knockout at the hands of Douglas Lima in the semifinals of the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix in May 2019. Anderson (17-3) isn’t about the flash and style, but he has proven to be a successful competitor in the Bellator cage with an 8-3 record in the promotion. Anderson has never lost back-to-back fights, and is currently riding a three-fight winning streak for the first time in his time under the Bellator umbrella. Anderson has six wins by knockout, six by submission and five by decision, while only being finished once in his three losses.

Patricky Pitbull vs. Peter Queally, Lightweight

• Last three results: Pitbull – L,W,W | Queally – W,L,W
• Pitbull: Brother of two-division champion Patricio, a 20-plus fight veteran of Bellator
• Queally: Coming off only the second stoppage victory of his career in his most recent fight

Pitbull (23-9) and Queally (12-5) were originally set to meet in Dublin in 2020 before the event was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Pitbull has long been a Bellator staple. His three most recent fights came in Japan, where he participated in the RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix. Pitbull won two fights in the tournament before losing to Tofiq Musayev via decision. In his 23 career wins, he has 15 by knockout. Queally is not a finisher, having gone to decision in 15 of his 17 career fights. In two trips to the Bellator cage, Queally is 1-1, losing a split decision to Myles Price before knocking out Ryan Scope. Queally has not fought since September 2019.

Anthony Johnson vs. Jose Augusto, Light Heavyweight Grand Prix

• Last three results: Johnson – L,W,W | Augusto – W,W,W
• Johnson: A former two-time UFC title challenger who has not competed since April 2017
• Augusto: A last-minute replacement who has never seen the judges’ scorecards

“Rumble” Johnson (22-6) was originally scheduled to face fellow UFC veteran Yoel Romero in the first round of the Grand Prix. Romero was forced out of the bout, allowing little-known Augusto (7-2) to step in for a big opportunity. Johnson stepped away from  the sport after losing a second bid for the UFC title, both coming against Daniel Cormier. Those losses to Cormier are the only blemishes on the last 14 fights on Johnson’s record. A prolific power puncher, Johnson has won 16 fights by knockout. Augusto has never seen the judges’ scorecards, finishing five fights by knockout and two by submission. He has been submitted in his two losses, something unlikely to happen against Johnson, who has never won by submission.

Juan Archuleta (c) vs. Sergio Pettis, Bantamweight championship

• Last three results: Archuleta – W,W,L | Pettis – W,W,W
• Archuleta: Fighting for the first time since winning the title this past September
• Pettis: A former UFC fighter who has gone 2-0 in his first two trips to the Bellator cage

Archuleta (25-2) has been a consistent force in Bellator while still managing to largely fly under the radar until defeating Patchy Mix for the then-vacant bantamweight championship in September 2020. Archuleta has only lost one fight in his past 21 bouts, that coming to two-division champion Patricio Pitbull in the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix. Archuleta has a near even split of victories between finishes (12) and decisions (13). Pettis, brother of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony, fought 14 times inside the UFC Octagon before finishing his UFC career with a win over Tyson Nam. Since jumping to Bellator, Pettis has picked up wins over Alfred Khashakyan and Ricky Bandejas to earn a shot at the belt.