Bellator vs. RIZIN video: Juan Archuleta edges out Soo Chul Kim in split decision

The Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN FF New Year’s Eve show included a scrappy bantamweight bout that saw Juan Archuleta squeak by Soo Chul Kim with a split decision.

There wasn’t any feeling out process to speak of here. After a flurry on the feet, Archuleta found himself stuck in a pretty tight guillotine. There was a lot of scrambling going on here, but Kim did land a brutal leg kick at the end of the round that made Archuleta hobble a bit.

The second round saw Archuleta lean hard into his wrestling. He kept Kim neutralized for most of the round, but did land a set of brilliant forearm shivers at one point where Kim was standing back to his feet. The final frame saw Kim showboat on the feet, as he was landing flush leg kicks and single punches on Archuleta, almost at will. The best strike of the round for Archuleta was a crafty jumping switch knee as Kim closed the distance. It was a close fight overall, so how did you score it?

Check out our description of the second round of Juan Archuleta vs. Soo Chul Kim:

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Archuleta went right to the takedown in the second stanza. After being controlled for a bit, Kim kicked away and got back to his feet, but Archuleta exploded in with another takedown. Archuleta was getting the positions, but wasn’t doing much with them. He wasn’t throwing many damaging ground strikes, and when he did posture up, it gave Kim enough pace to get back up. Credit to Archuleta for neutralizing Kim for most of the round.

Juan Archuleta def. Soo Chul Kim by split decision: Bantamweight