Patchy Mix enters the bantamweight grand prix a sizable underdog against former champ Kyoji Horiguchi, and he’s ready to prove the odds-makers wrong.
Mix (15-1) heads into Bellator 279 on a two-fight win streak, and it’s Horiguchi in the cross-hairs. The American knows many still see the Japanese fighter as the champ, or close to it.
“They all deem him as, he should be the world champion, because he was up four rounds on the champ right now,” Mix told media outlets including Cageside Press during the Bellator 279 media day this week. “[Sergio Pettis] kind of got a lucky spinning back fist, that’s what they say, or unlucky, whatever they deem it as. Some people think he’s the best, a lot of these media outlets and the fans. So I’m excited on Saturday to prove them all wrong.”
“I’m like a 3 to 1 dog right now. Put it on the smart money, Patchy Mix on Saturday,” he added.
When it comes to what he can do against Horiguchi that so many have failed to, Mix pointed to the submission game.
“He doesn’t really get submitted, I think he’s only been submitted once so maybe they believe that,” Mix explained. “But I’m a whole different submission artist than Demetrious Johnson. I’m a lot bigger, a lot stronger, a lot longer, so I have more leverage. I just truly believe I’m leaps and bounds ahead of him on the ground. I don’t think that a lot of people see it, but Saturday night when I get him on the mat, I think it’s going to be a short notice for Horiguchi.”
We’ll know soon enough. Patchy Mix and Kyoji Horiguchi throw down in one of two Bellator bantamweight grand prix quarter-final bouts at Bellator 279 on Saturday night in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Watch the full Bellator 279 media day appearance from Patchy Mix above. More coverage can be found below.
-
Cris Cyborg
-
Juan Archuleta
-
Raufeon Stots
-
Arlene Blencowe
-
Kyoji Horiguchi
-
Justine Kish
