HONOLULU – Bellator bantamweight Patchy Mix is a big fan of Patricio Freire moving to his division, but perhaps for selfish reasons.
After defending his featherweight title against Adam Borics in the main event of Bellator 286, “Pitbull” announced his plans to drop to bantamweight, in hopes of becoming a three-division champion. Mix, who is competing in the bantamweight grand prix final against Raufeon Stots at Bellator 295, is all about Freire making the move.
“I think it’s great, you know?” Mix told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a pre-fight news conference. “Great for the division, great for the promotion. I have a lot of respect for Patricio ‘Pitbull’ for moving down, for trying to chase history to be a three-weight world champion. It’s hard to do.”
Freire gets his chance to accomplish that goal immediately in his first fight at 135 pounds. At Bellator 297 on June 16, he meets champ Sergio Pettis in the co-main event at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Based on past accomplishments at lightweight and featherweight, Mix admires the work “Pitbull” has put in.
“He defeated Michael Chandler, knocked him out for the 155-pound belt,” Mix said. “He was the only person to defeat A.J. McKee at 145, for that belt. He was a longtime holder of that belt, and now he goes to try to become a three-weight world champion. Now he’ll be a 135-pound contender against Sergio Pettis, and you know, nothing but respect.”
Mix has a tough task of his own ahead of him Saturday in Stots, who has won 11 straight fights. However, “No Love” is confident in his abilities to get the job done and hopes “Pitbull” also takes care of business in June.
“I hope that he gets it done,” Mix said about Freire. “I want to fight the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter on the Bellator roster. I want a chance at the No. 1 guy. … I want him to win. I want to test myself with all the momentum against the No. 1 guy. If Sergio does get the job done, he’ll have been the one to get the No. 1 guy. Either way, I have a superfight lined up after this.”
If Mix defeats Stots, he will win the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, $1 million, and the interim title. He will have also stretched his win streak to five, which includes finishes of Albert Morales, James Gallagher, and Magomed Magomedov. If Mix can get past “Supa” Stots, he will be watching closely to see what happens between Freire and Pettis, because he believes his next fight will be major for his legacy.
“Saturday night, I want to punch myself into a superfight of the ages,” Mix said. “People don’t know it yet, but my team, myself, we all know: I’m one of the best bantamweights in the world. I believe I’m the best bantamweight in the world. My team, myself, more importantly, we know. All I have to do is just go out there, be myself, and I’ll prove it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 295.
