After an impressive rise up the ranks in the bantamweight division, Patrick Mix hit a wall in the form of Juan Archuleta at Bellator 246 on Saturday.
Entering the night undefeated, Mix lost a unanimous decision against Archuleta — and lost out on the vacant bantamweight title in the process. Archuleta is now the newly crowned champion. For Mix, (13-1), it’s back to the drawing board. Where he’ll make “a few adjustments.”
Speaking to media outlets at the Bellator 246 post-fight press conference, Mix said that “I feel like I tried to go for the finish in the first and second, used a lot of energy. I was rebuilding in the third, he came strong in the third, the fourth, and the fifth, just like I knew he would. He’s got good cardio, a good team. No excuses on my end, I was the best Patchy Mix tonight.”
The problem, however, was that Juan Archuleta “was just better than me tonight.”
In the end, “Patchy” Mix wasn’t all that surprised by the scorecards. “I felt like I won the first two, I thought maybe I could steal one, but he had more volume in those last three rounds, so I’m not surprised he got the three rounds.”
Only the 49-46 score had him shocked. “48-47, I feel, should have sufficed.”
The loss, his first in both his professional and amateur careers, should serve as a valuable lesson. “Every fight I’m going to get better. Even tonight. I don’t define myself just on this one fight, or any of my last 13, or even the 24-fight win streak,” said Mix. “I take each one at a time. I’m just trying to grow and get better each time. I’m down right now, but I’m not out.”
Saturday night was the first time Mix has gone the full 25 minutes in his career, despite being a champ outside Bellator. However, he doesn’t feel that was a factor. “I’ve trained for 25 minutes before,” he noted, before admitting that “just going out there and getting the experience was important for me too.”
But in the end, “I didn’t feel no different from the gym,” where he trains for 25 minutes or more on the regular.
Still a highly touted bantamweight prospect, the question now becomes, what does Patrick Mix do next? Asked if he’d want a quick turnaround, Mix told Cageside Press that “Whatever my coaches think. I’m healthy, I’m willing to get back into camp and keep fighting. That’s what I do anyways. I’d love to get the taste out of my mouth, but I also want to make the proper adjustments to be back. I’m not here just to be one of these guys in the middle of the pack. I want to be world champion, I want to be at the top of the list.”
