Magomed Magomedov came up short the first time, but as he sees it, things have changed.
Second chances don’t always come, but Friday at Bellator Champions Series: Paris, Magomedov (20-3) will get one as he rematches bantamweight champion Patchy Mix (19-1) at Accor Arena in Paris.
“Honestly, this is perfect scenario for me, so with one shot I can kill both rabbits, right?” Magomedov told reporters through an interpreter at a virtual news conference Tuesday. “I can get my revenge and also get the Bellator title, the one that all the fighters are looking at.”
The double opportunity Magomedov sees is half-title shot and half-vengeance. Magomedov and Mix fought in a non-title grand prix bout in December 2022. Mix put Magomedov to sleep with a guillotine choke in Round 2.
This time, Magomedov predicts a different outcome. He thinks he himself has improved, while Mix has remained the same.
“The whole preparation and training camp was totally different, rather than the first one. One thing I can gaurantee is that in the cage you’ll see another tiger, not the one you saw before with Patchy Mix. This, I can promise.”
“I think you will see a more aggressive Magomed who will push the pace and move forward. I have tuned myself for the five-round fight. It’s actually not going to be a fight. It’s going to be a brawl.”
“After our last fight, he made two more wins. I’m sure he’ll get more confident. On the mental side, he’s more confident. Stylistically and technical-wise, I believe he’s the same. Nothing much has changed for him.”
Should he walk away from Friday’s bout with championship gold, Magomedov hopes the stars align to keep the revenge tour going. Top contender Raufeon Stots (20-2) is the other man to hold a Bellator win over Magomedov, who hopes to make it two-for-two in rematches under the promotion’s banner.
“Well, if everything went perfect in this fight, I would love to have my first title defense with Raufeon, as you mentioned,” Magomedov said. “The same thing. I have to defend my title, but if the title defense is going to be a fight that I can avenge my loss, that’ll be ideal. Let’s say 2024 I’m setting the goal that it will be the ‘Year of Revenge.'”
“… I think (a title fight) is the last step on the ladder that I’m walking on. It’s kind of like winning an Olympic game to get this title. This is the goal of professional athletes and professional fighters. This night and this belt will be the thrill of my career.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event page for Bellator Champions Series: Paris.
