The American fighter showed a 6lb (2.7kg) weight cut before his bout against Kai Asakura, and the championship belt is now only on the line for the Japanese.
Archuleta revealed after the weigh-in that the reason for the serious overweight was due to malaise during a long flight. According to the fighter, he will consult with his team and decide whether he should compete in this weight class.
The American’s ambitious plan was to defend the Rizin title and then challenge current Bellator champion Patchy Meeks, to whom he suffered the only defeat of his career in 2020, winning by unanimous decision in a fight for the vacant Bellator championship belt.
Archuleta subsequently lost the Bellator belt and won the Rizin title, while Meeks first became Bellator’s interim champion before winning the current belt against Sergio Pettis.
Recall that the main event of the Rizin 45 tournament will be a featherweight title fight between Kyoji Hriguchi and Makoto Takahashi.