(Video) Juan Archuleta makes MMA entrance of the year

Juan Archuleta and A.J McKee made incredible entrances at Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

Both mixed martial artists wanted to stand out during the cross-over event between the two MMA promotions. The pair definitely gave the 23,000 fans at the Saitama Arena in Japan a visual treat. But many were left wondering what exactly they had witnessed.

Juan Archuleta was dressed as an Aztec Warrior. His entrance was accompanied by traditional music and pyrotechnics.

The American beat Soo Chul Kim with a split decision.

Though the man is a big fan of Japanese culture, Archuleta stayed away from cultural stereotypes like samurais and ninjas.

During the media day, he told reporters:
“I’ve been able to really dive deep into the culture. Go into farms and be welcomed by the people that bring me home-cooked meals, meals that are organic and part of my diet.”

Archuleta’s Aztec warrior costume was culturally relevant since he is of Mexican descent.

A.J. McKee on the other hand dressed as an alligator-coated samurai. He spent over $100k on this samurai outfit. Though the Bellator lightweight wanted a katana, legal restrictions prevented him from wielding one. McKee revealed in an interview:

“I did a lot of research for it, [it cost] a nice little hefty penny. It was a hefty penny I spent on it, but I wasn’t too worried about it. I spent $100,000 on it.”

“I found this spot online, just looking at different samurai places, looking at Katana [swords] and stuff and they were like, ‘Dude, you can’t get a Katana,’”

“‘To get a Katana, you have to register it to the damn police,’ and I was like, that’s fine by me. They were like, ‘You’re not getting one, but you could find an armor suit.’

“I wanted armor, too. I’m preparing for battle, so I figured it was something I could relate to their culture with, and with my culture at the same time. I’m in Japan one time, so let’s just go full send on it. The other suits I was looking at, they didn’t give me that preparing for battle feel like this real deal, alligator coated samurai suit.”

Despite these somewhat cringeworthy antics, McKee won his event against Roberto de Souza.

It was one of McKee’s most memorable performances, with many calling his performance samurai-like.

Considering that the crossover between Rizin and Bellator was a special event. One can’t fault the men for trying to add some showmanship and pizzazz to the proceedings.