Ricky Bandejas has fought for Bellator only once. As far as promotional debuts go, though, it’s hard to think of a better one.

Bandejas entered last August’s Bellator 204 meeting with then-unbeaten James Gallagher as both the underdog and the lesser-known name of the pairing. But the hype around the outspoken SBG Ireland product mattered little for Bandejas, who dispatched Gallagher in highlight-reel fashion in the first round.

But you probably knew that already. After all, at least for a few days in the ever-busy MMA news cycle, the shocking knockout was certainly a massive talking point.

Right after the win, Bandejas said he expected the win to put his “name on the map.” And, a few months later, it seems like it did. He has more followers on social media now, more messages, more recognition when he walks around town, and “a lot more fans.”

But as Bandejas prepares to take the next step in his career Saturday at Bellator 214, he’s not thinking about the previous one.

“You know, I just forget it,” Bandejas told MMAjunkie. “Just move on to the next guy and go out there and perform. And, hopefully, we’ll get a cool knockout like that again. People love that stuff.”

Now, that’s not to say that Bandejas (11-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) believes he has an easy mission in Juan Archuleta (20-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA), whom he meets in the main card at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

If anything, Bandejas sees a “killer” in his opponent. He’s well aware of Archuleta’s jaw-dropping record and of the fact that he is backed up by a strong team. He is also on the same page as Archuleta in regard to Saturday’s showdown being his toughest test yet.

In fact, if you ask Bandejas, he’s got a taller order now than he would have if he were up against the division’s current champion.

“I think, honestly, that Archuleta is a harder fight than (Darrion) Caldwell,” Bandejas said. “Caldwell, he’s just a straight wrestler. And Archuleta, he’s a little bit of everything.”

Well, if Bandejas’ math is right, he might get a chance to confirm that empirically sooner rather than later.

“I can’t imagine that the winner does not get the title fight,” Bandejas said. “21-1, 11-1, neither of us fought Caldwell. Caldwell’s pretty much beat everybody at 135 already. So it’d be insane if the winner doesn’t get the belt fight.

“… Caldwell didn’t have any close matches. He kind of dominantly beat everybody, the top contenders right now at 135. And Archuleta is, like I said, 21-1, 11-1 – and we’re both fresh. So I think the winner here definitely should get the title fight.”

“Everybody” is a strong word, but Caldwell has faced quite a few names in the division, from former champions Eduardo Dantas and Joe Warren to standouts like Joe Taimanglo and Leandro Higo. He most recently lost to Kyioji Horiguchi in a cross-promotional effort at Rizin FF 14 and, before that, beat Noad Lahat in the non-tile featherweight match that headlined Bellator 204.

Bandejas, on his end, might be only a single fight into his Bellator run, but he did bring a five-fight winning streak and a 10-1 pro record into it. Archuleta, in turn, is about to perform for the first time in Bellator’s 135-pound division, but that’s after three consecutive wins at featherweight in the promotion and a 13-fight winning streak overall.

All in all, it’s not so crazy to think that a win in Saturday’s main-card bout, which airs live on Paramount and streams on DAZN, would put him next in line. Then again, there’s a lot that can happen to shake up title pictures. Caldwell, for instance, has expressed his eagerness to rematch Horiguchi on the Bellator stage – and that could feasibly be what’s next for the champ.

It’s a good thing, then, that Bandejas isn’t sweating it. Sure, a title is nice. And obviously he believes it’s close. But he’ll get over it if it isn’t.

“Like I always tell everybody: I want to be active,” Bandejas said. “I want to fight three, four times a year. A title fight is not my main goal. And, no matter what, the pressure is on, because if you don’t win, you lose half your money. It’s the whole reason we do it, to get paid. So pressure is on no matter what.”

For more on Bellator 214, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.