Rizin bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta sheds more light on why T.J. Dillashaw's training sessions were so intense
Juan Archuleta recently shed more light on his experiences training with T.J. Dillashaw and why his training sessions were so intense.
The reigning Rizin bantamweight champion had trained alongside the former UFC bantamweight champion for years, which saw them push each other to become better fighters through high-tempo sparring sessions. During his appearance on Jaxxon Podcast, he explained why the training sessions were designed the way they were and compared it to college athletes transitioning to the professional level:
"The mindset for T.J. [Dillashaw] or any other college athlete is to be the best...And now you're dealing with a lot of guys that you're probably one of the favorites on the team, you're probably one of the blue chip recruits, but now you go into an NFL pro team...Everyone is a man at this point, so you try to bully someone you're gonna get bullied back...It slowly starts to escalate." [35:20 - 35:46]
Archuleta then added that coaching is very important in order to diffuse certain situations and ensure that egos are checked. He mentioned that it wasn't an issue for him because he was able to avoid those situations, saying:
"Some people don't realize that like, they're trying to make a name off you in practice. And you're like, 'Bro, it's practice. Settle down'...And that's how things escalate. So with me, I have no ego at all when I train. When I feel someone going super hard, I pump the brakes." [36:37 - 36:53]
Despite what others may think about Dillashaw's training methods, it clearly worked out for him as he is a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, while Archuleta is the reigning Rizin bantamweight champion and former Bellator bantamweight champion.
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When is Juan Archuleta's next fight?
Juan Archuleta is set to close out the MMA calendar as he is scheduled to defend his Rizin bantamweight championship against Kai Asakura in the co-main event of the promotion's annual New Year's Eve event.
'The Spaniard' has been on an impressive run as of late, as he is currently riding a four-fight winning streak. His winning streak began last October at Bellator 286 when he earned a unanimous decision win over Enrique Barzola to snap his two-fight losing skid.