Archie Colgan remained undefeated after Bellator 297, winning his toughest test yet against former title challenger Emmanuel Sanchez.
Colgan (8-0) admitted after the fight, however, that he was expecting the end, rather than the unanimous decision he eventually won.
“If I’m going to be honest, I really thought I was going to get the final spot in that fight,” Colgan told media outlets including Cageside Press on Friday. “During the fight I thought so, and even during the fight. I was hitting him with some big shots, I was taking damage, and yeah. I believed it until I heard maybe about 30 seconds left – until then.”
“I see why he’s 20 fights at Bellator and he’s not finished,” Colgan added, elaborating, “It’s tough. Literally what I said, he’s a tenacious Mexican fighter, and he’ll stay there until the fight is over. And he was.”
“I pride myself on being strong, explosive, and accurate. I was all of those things, and he stood through them.”
There are a few things that lightweight Colgan is proud of, the latest being his composure.
“My coolness is one of the things I’m most proud of, too. I’ve been competitive since I’ve known life. At four years old, when I started wrestling, I don’t know life without competition. I can’t remember a day before I turned four. And as long as I remember life and existence on this earth, I remember the competition. And composure goes a long way.”
As for the floor match with Sanchez, Colgan told Cageside Press “I felt very confident in the situations I would be in with Emmanuel Sanchez, or any other black belt, after they were taken down.”
“I don’t put myself in bad situations, I’m a strong communicator. I’m going to be a tough person to suffocate in these situations.” “I don’t have a neck, I’m a fairly strong guy. So even if I’m put in a bad situation, I can use my strength to help me get out of those situations. I felt very confident in all of those situations.”
Watch the full appearance at Bellator 297’s post-fight press conference by Archie Colgan above.