Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix is healthy and injury free coming into Bellator Paris, where he’ll face Magomed Magomedov for the second time.
While there’s always plenty of talk around rematches and “running it back,” for Mix, the approach is a little different. It’s not studying for a test you’ve already taken but rather focusing on himself, and treating the second fight as a new test altogether.
“Just focus on myself I guess. Over the past let’s say 15 fights, however many I’ve had, I kind of don’t train for the specific opponent,” Mix (19-1) said about how he’s been looking at the rematch, speaking with Cageside Press recently. “I train to be the best version of myself, and I feel that a lot of these guys can’t survive me. So as long as I train to go out there and finish, whether that’s putting the pressure on them, striking them, grappling them, however I choose to do it, I feel a lot of these guys can’t survive it.”
Mix sees the rematch as “a new test actually, because I feel like he’s going to bring new tools to the table. He’s going to be aware of some of the things I do. But I can finish him in multiple different ways. It’s not just the guillotine that I have. I’m looking forward to solving this new puzzle, this new test that I have in front of me.”
Patchy Mix also touched on partner Tatiana Suarez and her push to a title shot in the UFC.
“She’s had such a long journey, long time. It’s a crazy story. If you watch the Unbreakable documentary on HBO, you can watch her story,” noted Mix. “It’s an amazing story. Just to see her, be a part of it, small part of it at that, it’ll be a special thing for her when she wins that title.”
Mix added that he’s anticipating Suarez’s push to be a world champion in 2024 more than his own pursuits, given he’s already won a title. “For her to prove to herself what we already know. We already know she’s great- I’m talking about her team, her family, the people that love her and she loves. We know how great she is. It will be a long time coming for her when she wins that belt, and without a doubt I believe that she will.”
Watch our full interview with Bellator Paris headliner Patchy Mix above.
