HONOLULU – Patchy Mix figured he’d be fighting for $1 million and a belt in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix final.
He also no doubt figured if it was against Raufeon Stots, it would cmoe with a little trash talk. Interim bantamweight champion Stots (19-1 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) puts his belt on the line against Mix (17-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) on Saturday in the tournament final at Bellator 295.
Bellator 295 takes place Saturday at Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
“This is the culmination of everything,” Mix told MMA Junkie at an open workout session for fans and the media at Royal Hawaiian Center in Honolulu. “I was reaching for a grand prix 17 months ago after I beat up (James) Gallagher. Now we’re here.
“I took out (Kyogi) Horiguchi – former champion. I put (Magomed) Magomedov off to sleep. I’ve only gotten better now. I’m here for Raufeon Stots’ neck. I’m not here to go the distance. I’m here to put him away. I’m here to dominate him and finish him.”
When the 135-pound tournament got under way, it was with an interim title on the line after champion Sergio Pettis knew he’d be sidelined after a surgery. Stots won that interim belt, then defended it in the semifinals against Danny Sabatello.
But just ahead of Saturday’s final, it was announced that former two-division champion Patricio Freire was going to move down from featherweight and lightweight to try to win a title in a third division. “Pitbull” Freire will challenge Pettis for the bantamweight belt.
That means the goal line may not have been moved, since the Stots-Mix winner still will have a title unification bout against the Pettis-Freire winner. But what’s waiting at the goal line no longer is a guarantee to be Pettis.
“I prefer the pound-for-pound No. 1 – Patricio,” Mix said. “In a dream world, that’s what I prefer. I want ‘Pitbull’ to come down, I want him to take it from Pettis, and I want to compete against ‘Pitbull.’ I want to compete against the face of Bellator – against the former 155-pound world champion and reigning 145-pound world champion. Now he’s going to be a (title challenger) at 135. So I want him to come down, I want him to take that belt, and I’ll be here with my interim, my grand prix belt, $1 million dollars and all the momentum to go try to take out No. 1.
“How can you (pick) against him? It’s hard to (pick) against him, but it depends on how he fights. But I believe that Patricio ‘Pitbull’ will get the job done.”
Check out Mix’s full interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.
