Patrick “Patchy” Mix is ready for his star turn. The Jackson-Wink MMA fighter sits at 13-0, and will fight for the vacant 135lb title at Bellator 246 this weekend.
It’s rare that you’ll find a fighter still considered a prospect fighting for gold in a major promotion. But that’s the situation Mix is in as he goes up against Juan Archuleta this Saturday night. Mix has been on the radar a bit, but he’s still a relative newcomer.
Mix knows his opponent this weekend is dangerous. “I don’t think he has any weak parts of his game, I just think I’m better than him everywhere,” the undefeated fighter exclaimed during media day this week.
Patchy Mix is just one year into his Bellator MMA career, and he’s now fighting for the belt. That’s nothing new to him, however. Calling himself a “belt collector” Mix noted that he’s won gold where ever he’s fought, from his amateur career to King of the Cage. And now, “it’s all going to come to fruition on Saturday night when I beat Juan Archuleta.”
There were reports earlier this year that Mix had renewed his contract with Bellator. He pointed out during this week’s media day that the renewal actually took place late last year.
Either way, there was no promise of a title shot at the time of renewal. Yet after doing nothing but win, then going to Japan to fight on a cross-promotional card with RIZIN FF, Mix knew what was on the line. “With the win in RIZIN, I definitely did feel I deserved the title shot,” he said. “I didn’t know if it would be next, but the only way it wouldn’t be next is just the names, because these guys are a little more known to the casual fans.”
Those names, of course, would include Sergio Pettis, who is 2-0 in Bellator to date. “But the die-hard fans know who’s putting in work. They know who’s the hunter, and that’s me. I was just hoping Bellator would honor that, as they did.”
In addition to fighting for the belt, Mix is headlining his first Bellator card this weekend. “It doesn’t feel like anything different than any other fight I’ve ever been in I guess,” he said regarding the feeling heading into the event. “It’s just another fight. I’ve done this 24 times, this is just my 25th. It doesn’t feel any different, especially without fans. It just feels almost smaller, because there’s no crowd, no hype behind it.”
Mix himself, however, has plenty of hype. Just don’t mistake him for just a grappler, regardless of the cool submissions he’s been known to pull off. “I don’t necessarily just call myself a grappler. I guess they just named me that because I finish people on the ground,” observed Mix. “I can fight standing up as well. It just so happens that no one’s been able to stuff a takedown.”
Bellator 246 takes place this Saturday, September 12 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. The event airs live on Paramount Network.
