If you didn’t know a lot about Patrick ‘Patchy’ Mix before, you probably do now.
MMA fans should keep a close eye on this Bellator bantamweight’s meteoric rise, and here are 5 reasons why.
He won the Bellator bantamweight Grand Prix tournament along with the interim championship
Mix is now $1 million dollars richer after his success at Bellator 295 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The American sealed his status as the latest tournament winner and sets up a fight against the victor of champion Sergio Pettis and Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire in June.
He did it in incredible fashion, knocking out Raufeon Stots in the very first round of the final with a left knee strike straight to the chin.
It was a clever read by the 29-year-old. In a southpaw stance he showed Stots the jab before feinting a hook. Stots looked to avoid the right hand of his opponent but as a consequence moved his head straight onto the oncoming knee from Mix.
A knockout of the year contender for sure.
He is skilled everywhere
Mix is a grappling specialist. 12 of his 18 wins have come by submission, including a guillotine choke against Magomed Magomedov in the semi-final of the Grand Prix.
His KO against Stots may have been his first in his 8 fight Bellator career, but it is unlikely to be his last.
After his Grand Prix victory, he went on to say that he had been working on that knee for months, expecting to catch his wrestling-heavy opponent with it.
Mix is prepared to grapple or strike with anyone.
Patchy was the King of the Cage champion and went undefeated in the promotion
Before signing to Bellator, ‘No Love’ went 9-0 in King of the Cage. He won the bantamweight title there 5 fights in when he beat former UFC fighter Andre Ewell by rear-naked choke in round 1.
He secured 5 finishes in his 9 fights – 4 submissions and 1 knockout – and all of these occurred in the first round of each bout.
Light work for Mix.
In a deep division he is one of the best in the world
Across the world and in various promotions such as the UFC and Bellator, the 135 pound division is arguably the deepest.
Patchy Mix has proved he can beat the very best at this level in the Bellator bantamweight division, including a win over the likes of Kyoji Horiguchi, but would he be able to do the same in the UFC?
It might be too soon to say, but he himself certainly believes he is one of the best bantamweights in the world especially after the hugely impressive tournament run, and so does manager Ali Abdelaziz.
He also believes that his weight class in Bellator matches that of the UFC: “If I assess the bantamweight division in Bellator and the UFC, I think we’re just as deep,” Mix told MMA Fighting.
He is ambitious and has a strong mentality
It was evident in the Bellator 295 post-fight press conference that Patchy Mix has a bulletproof mindset.
He spoke well and was understandably full of confidence. For someone who has worked extremely hard to get to this point, he gave off the aura of a man who is just getting started.
“I believe I’m the best bantamweight in the world. I train with the top guys in the world,” said Mix at the press conference. “I’m just getting better, I’m just improving now, I’m just growing into my prime now. I’m not just a grappler. I can do everything and I’m here to prove it.”
The next star of the Bellator bantamweight division is here and his name is Patchy Mix.
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