Eduardo Dantas: Ready for battle at Bellator 222
From Madison Square Garden, New York, NY – with a surprising change of headliner – Bellator 222 is aiming to bring the heat. On Fri. Jun 14, 2019 the Prelims start at 7:30pm and the Main card begins at 10:00 pm ET.
From Favela to Fame
In the run-up to the highly anticipated match on June 14th Slickster Magazine was granted an exclusive interview with former Bellator Bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas (21-6), who is set to enter to ring against Juan Archuleta (22-1) as a featherweight.
Speaking through a translator, Dantas told Slickster about his rough-and-tumble upbringing in Santo Amaro, a poverty-stricken favela outside of Rio de Janiero. Dantas’ father died when Eduardo was still just a young boy, but his mother made it her mission to keep Eduardo and his sister away from the drugs and the violence that plagued the streets outside their home. “It wasn’t easy,” Dantas said, “but she did the best she could.” To this day, Dantas says that he looks to his mother as a source of inspiration both inside and outside the ring, and draws a certain strength from the struggles she endured.
Seeking to channel his energy somewhere positive, Dantas picked up the martial art of ju-jitsu at the age of 13, following the advice of a friend. He soon began training at a gym run by BJJ legend Andre Pederneiras, but watching other men utilizing other forms of martial arts pushed Eduardo to want more. Following up on this drive, Dantas entered into his first MMA competition at the age of 17. By 2008, at the age of 19, Dantas entered into the Shooto Competition and bested the Japanese champion Masakatsu Ueda to take home the Shooto 132-pound world title, which he would hold for the next two years. Finally, in 2011, Dantas received an invitation from Bellator to compete in the Season Five Bantamweight Tournament.
Bellator Breakout
That tournament allowed Dantas to show off his skills on the world stage as he defeated Wilson Reis, Ed West, and Alexis Villa to become the tournament champion. Building upon this success, Dantas went on to challenge champion Zach Makovsky at Bellator 65 in 2012 for the Bellator Bantamweight title, a fight which he would win via technical submission in the second round. That belt, however, was lost to Joe Warren 2014 at Bellator 128 but reclaimed by Dantas once again at Bellator 156, when Dantas bested friend and former teammate Marcos Galvão via unanimous decision.
Dantas would successfully defend that belt in a rematch against Joe Warren at Bellator 166 and again against Leandro Higo at Bellator 177 before losing it once more – this time to former NCAA national wrestling champion Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 184.
Following his loss to Caldwell Dantas was defeated at Bellator 202 by former UFC fighter Michael McDonald via knockout in the first round, but he rebounded to take down Toby Misech at Bellator 215 this February. Looking back at the match against Misech, Dantas tells Slickster that it was one of his most memorable bouts. “He was coming off a serious foot injury and heavy surgery” Dantas’ translator explained. “In his head, he was worried…It was a personal challenge and he was very happy to see he could overcome that challenge.”
The move up to the featherweight division represents yet another challenge for Dantas, but it seems to be one he believes he can overcome like all the rest.
Dantas vs. Archuleta
Coming into Bellator 222, Dantas says he’s looking to mix up his style and focus on several different martial arts in order to maximize his abilities and capitalize upon his arsenal of skills. That said, however, his translator did say that there has been an especially strong focus on striking in recent weeks as Dantas moves to shore up some of the weaknesses he perceives in his technique.
“He’s trying to mix everything and not focus on just one,” his translator explained. “But, because he comes from a jiu-jitsu background he is focusing right now on boxing and striking.” He also added that Dantas has been spending a significant amount of time studying Archuleta’s style, and is adjusting techniques based upon what he sees.
The step into the featherweight arena is a big move for Dantas, but he says that the bump in weight isn’t all bad. “He has to eat a lot more which makes him very happy” his translator laughed.
Archuleta is coming into this fight on a 17-fight win streak, but that success streak doesn’t seem to bother Dantas at all. “Juan is a very tough athlete and plays with the rules under his arm. I have everything in my favor, reach, height, I’m faster. Where the fight is, I will be dominating,” the Brazilian brawler told reporters. “I’m (even) faster at Featherweight — the fans (should) get excited…I’m going to win this fight.”
Should he take Archuleta down, Dantas says that he is looking forward to a rematch against Darrion Caldwell and another shot at the belt in the future.
To see if Dantas has what it takes to stop the seemingly unstoppable win-streak out of Archuleta, tune in this Friday, June 14th, to watch Bellator 222 live!
