UNCASVILLE, Conn. – After he became the first fighter to finish Magomed Magomedov, Patchy Mix thinks he should be the one everyone’s talking about at bantamweight.
Mix (17-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) choked out Magomedov (19-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) in the first of two bantamweight grand prix semifinals on the Bellator 289 main card at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Magomedov was a slight favorite in the fight.
The win moved Mix into the final, and two fights after he put Magomedov out cold, he was cageside to see interim champion Raufeon Stots beat Danny Sabatello to defend his belt and move on to the $1 million final and a matchup with Mix.
Mix said his finish of Magomedov should make people reassess who should be expected to win once he and Stots have a date on the books.
“I saw in the (Enrique) Barzola fight (Magomedov is) susceptible to that guillotine, but I felt like he has a warrior spirit – a true warrior code,” Mix told MMA Junkie after his win. “I knew I wasn’t going to get him unless I put him out. I knew I had to put him out. He showed his true heart and he went unconscious.
“You know what? I’ve been telling people all f*cking (week): I’m the favorite to win this tournament. Now what? Now we’re going to be talking I’m the favorite. Want to know why? (Stots or Sabatello) in the (main event)? I could submit them, too.”
Mix said Stots’ unanimous decision win over Magomedov in August 2021 gives him a confidence boost when he compares it to his finish of Magomedov.
But once the dust settles and Stots starts to make plans for the final, Mix said it’s constant improvements in his game that should worry him for their eventual meeting.
“If I was on Level 5 before, I’m on Level 50 now. I’m way better. I’m way (more) progressed, and I’ve learned a lot more,” Mix said. “These guys don’t have to worry about what I did (Friday). They’ve got to worry about how much better I’m going to get until the next fight because I’m going back in the gym. Me and my team are getting together, and we have a big f*cking prize to win right now – a big prize, and it comes with a world title.
“You know what I just did? I earned my shot at the world title. I earned it again. This is my second time coming around and I’m not going to waste it.”
The tournament winner will get $1 million – and also will move on to a bantamweight title unification fight with champ Sergio Pettis, who has been out rehabbing after knee surgery.
Check out Mix’s full post-fight interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 289.
