Patchy Mix competed in the Bellator bantamweight division.
Now he’s giving the man he choked unconscious two full years ago a second chance.
At least when Mix (19-1, 15th place) takes on Magomed Magomedov in Paris on Friday as the headliner of the promotion’s second event since being acquired by the PFL and renamed the Bellator Champions Series. He would do so as the first undisputed champion. time.
Frankly, Mix wasn’t surprised to be offered a retread.
“We have wiped out a large portion of the department,” Mix told the Post in a recent video call. “I played against everyone in the top five, but [Juan] The only one who could even beat me was Archuleta.”
Archuleta suffered his first professional loss to Mix in his first championship opportunity four years ago, but has struggled to make the 135-pound limit recently, losing his most recent bout on New Year’s Eve in Japan. A realistic rematch booking was derailed.
This opened the door for Magomedov (20-3, 14 finishes), who lost called to a mixed guillotine choke in the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix semifinals in December 2022.
The stakes are lower this time. Mix won $1 million in prize money and the interim bantamweight title, ultimately unifying the titles with Sergio Pettis in November of last year.
But there’s a lot more at stake in Mix than just making his first title defense.
The matchup itself speaks to the strange existence of the bantamweight division in the newly unified PFL-Bellator (some call it PFLator). The PFL does not utilize 135-pounders in its featured seasonal format, and these lightweight fighters are relegated to one division. His one Bellator event per month is mostly held internationally at locally friendly times, with his main card streaming on Fridays at 3pm ET on Max.
As it happens, Mix is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the entire company, and he believes he is better than UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, but he is contractually unable to prove that.
Mix expressed optimism that PFL will be able to attract big names like flyweight legend Demetrius Johnson to the promotion. However, it should be noted that he has not expressed any interest in fighting outside of ONE Championship before his retirement.
Another interesting option Mix mentioned is fighting at featherweight.
“Brendan Locknain, he’s coming close. He has a chance to win this year’s tournament. That fight looks good in the end,” said Mix, who finished in the first round last month Talk about the former PFL 145-pound season winner who got his start.
The mix also name-checked last year’s PFL featherweight finalists and champions Jesus Pinedo and Gabriel Braga, as well as Bellator great and current 145-pound champion Patricio Pitbull.
That’s not to say Mix doesn’t keep an eye on Magomedov, considering Magomedov a fresh opponent despite their shared experience inside the cage at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut 17 months ago. He says he treats it like that.
Tasked with climbing the mountain and playing king of the hill, Mix is chasing big fights, but those won’t happen unless he settles his second match with Magomedov.
“After this, I just want to maintain the edge,” Mix said. “I’m going to eliminate this guy and the way I know Patchy can do it, the way I can do it, people will be excited to see me fight. And it doesn’t matter who it’s against. They just want to watch me.”
