Patchy Mix

Bellator 270 Preview: James Gallagher – Patchy Mix

by

Later today in the co-main event of Bellator 270, we will see a very highly anticipated showdown in the bantamweight division. Ireland’s own James Gallagher (11-1) takes on the toughest opponent of his career in former title challenger Patchy Mix (14-1).

Gallagher will enter Bellator 270 on a four-fight win streak that dates back to 2019. That winning streak started after his lone loss back in 2018 to Ricky Bandejas. Prior to that loss, Gallagher gave off the impression that he was invincible.

However, the devastating loss brought him back to earth and he started taking things a little more serious. Ever since then, we’ve seen him get better and better with each outing and at Bellator 270, he’s looking to jump into title contention.

Speaking of title contention, Patchy Mix is looking to get right back in the mix. Last September at Bellator 246, Mix took on Juan Archuleta for the bantamweight champion. After a great start, Mix gassed in the later rounds and lost a decision. He bounced back with a win over Albert Morales at Bellator 258.

Bellator 270 Prediction

This is an incredibly intriguing fight and judging by most Bellator fans, the fans seem to be more interested in this fight than the main event. Both men are tremendous grapplers and both have tremendous submission skills.

On pure wrestling, I’d give the edge to Patchy Mix at Bellator 270. However, I think their jiu jitsu is essentially a wash with how talented both are. This fight could come down to the striking and I actually like the kickboxing of Gallagher.

That said, I think this fight is going to be razor close. I’m not convinced we are going to see a finish, but instead, I think we see a technical point battle. With Bellator 270 being in Ireland, I have a feeling that Gallagher wins a very close decision.

Prediction: James Gallagher by Decision

Bellator rebooks showdown between James Gallagher and Patchy Mix

by

A massive fight has been booked in Bellator‘s bantamweight division. The promotion announced today that they have finalized a matchup between James Gallagher (11-1) and Patrick “Patchy” Mix (14-1).

The matchup will take place at Bellator 270 which will take place on August 27th in Dublin, Ireland. James Gallagher was turning into Bellator’s version of Conor McGregor just a couple of years ago. The brash Irish contender was even a teammate of The Notorious one.

Gallagher had confidence and he was trying to ride the Irish momentum of Conor McGregor. However, the path wasn’t as smooth for Gallagher. Gallagher was being fast-tracked by Bellator, but then he ran into Ricky Bandejas after an injury layoff.

Bandejas shocked everyone by stopping the Irishman in the first round. Gallagher took the loss well and has since rebounded extremely well. Since that loss, Gallagher has gone 4-0 inside the Bellator cage.

Only one of those fights has gone the distance. This matchup against Patchy Mix is the biggest fight of Gallagher’s career. Should he win this matchup, he’s likely going to get a shot at the bantamweight title.

Bellator title eliminator?

Originally, these two men were supposed to fight at Bellator 258 on May 7th. Gallagher pulled out of the fight and Mix ended up taking on Albert Morales. Mix got the win by third round arm-triangle choke. It was a good bounce back for Mix who had fought for the bantamweight title and lost in September.

The grappling of Patchy Mix is something to behold. When he fought Juan Archuleta for the title, his grappling alone made it look like he was going to win. His incredible skill on the mat allowed him to control the early portions of his title fight.

However, his gas tank ultimately failed him and Juan Archuleta captured the Bellator bantamweight title by decision. Overall, Mix is 3-1 inside the Bellator cage.

It’s clear that Bellator is setting this up as a title eliminator. These two headlining a card in Dublin is going to be massive and having a title shot on the line only ups the stakes.

Bellator 258 Preview: Patrick “Patchy” Mix – Albert Morales

by

Tomorrow night at Bellator 258, former title challenger Patrick “Patchy” Mix (13-1) will look to bounce back. He’s taking on six-fight UFC veteran Albert Morales who will be making his Bellator debut.

Morales will enter the Bellator 258 cage having won two fights in a row. Both of those wins came under the Light Out Xtreme promotion and they both took place in 2019. This is Morales’ first fight since November of 2019.

When he was with the UFC, Morales went an underwhelming 1-4-1 in six fights. He earned himself a contract with the UFC after going 6-0 with five finishes. However, things went down hill quickly once he got to the UFC.

In his Bellator debut, he’s going to have his hands full. Patchy Mix is an absolute stud and he’s a finisher. At Bellator 246 last September, Mix got his shot at the bantamweight title against Juan Archuleta.

Patchy Mix looked great earlier on and got Archuleta in a lot of compromising positions on the ground. Mix’s ground game is sick and if you go to the ground with him, you’re going to find yourself in a lot of trouble.

However, Mix couldn’t keep his fast pace up for all five rounds. After the first couple of rounds, Mix really started to fade and Archuleta won by decision at Bellator 246. It was a learning experience for Mix who will look to bounce back tomorrow night.

Bellator 258 Prediction

As much as Bellator wants to build this up as a competitive fight, this is screaming ‘tune-up fight’ to me. Don’t get me wrong, Albert Morales can definitely do some damage in the cage.

He’s got some decent skill on the feet and on the mat. It’s not going to be a complete layup tomorrow night, but in reality, I don’t see Morales giving Mix any issues at Bellator 258.

If Mix were to lose tomorrow night, it would be a massive upset. I see Mix getting this fight down to the ground pretty early in the first round. Once it’s there, it will just be a matter of time. I think Mix picks up his tenth submission victory tomorrow night.

Prediction: Patchy Mix by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) – Round 1

Bellator books James Gallagher – Patchy Mix

by

A massive fight has been booked in Bellator‘s bantamweight division. MMA DNA was the first to report that the promotion has finalized a matchup between James Gallagher (11-1) and Patrick “Patchy” Mix (13-1).

The matchup will take place at Bellator 258 which will take place on May 7th. James Gallagher was turning into Bellator’s version of Conor McGregor just a couple of years ago. The brash Irish contender is actually a teammate of The Notorious one.

Gallagher had confidence and he was trying to ride the Irish momentum of Conor McGregor. However, the path wasn’t as smooth for Gallagher. Gallagher was being fast-tracked by Bellator, but then he ran into Ricky Bandejas after an injury layoff.

Bandejas shocked everyone by stopping the Irishman in the first round. Gallagher took the loss well and has since rebounded extremely well. Since that loss, Gallagher has gone 4-0 inside the Bellator cage.

Only won of those fights has gone the distance. This matchup against Patchy Mix is the biggest fight of Gallagher’s career. Should he win this matchup, he’s likely going to get a shot at the bantamweight title. Juan Archuleta is scheduled to defend his title against Sergio Pettis that same evening. 

Bellator title eliminator?

Standing across from Gallagher on May 7th will be Patrick “Patchy” Mix. Mix just fought for the bantamweight title back at Bellator 246 against Archuleta. Early on, it looked like Mix was going to become the Bantamweight champion.

The grappling of Patchy Mix is something to behold. His incredible skill on the mat allowed him to control the early portions of his title fight. However, his gas tank ultimately failed him and Juan Archuleta captured the Bellator bantamweight title by decision.

Now, Mix will have his opportunity at redemption. It’s clear that Bellator is setting this up as a title eliminator with the main event being the bantamweight title fight. Whoever wins this matchup on May 7th is going to be the first in line for a crack at whoever wins the belt in the main event.

Bellator’s 2020 Fight of the Year

by
Juan Archuleta

It’s been a crazy and eventful 2020 for Bellator MMA. The promotion has had some real high spots, but they were also hit really hard by the pandemic. Back in March of this year, Bellator had to shut down their production.

Unlike the UFC, it took Bellator a few months to put together a system to come back. After shutting down around the same time, it took Bellator until July to make their return.

However, despite the late start, Bellator accomplished some major things in 2020. Most notably, the promotion became the first major MMA promotion to host an event in France after MMA’s legalization.

Considering the pandemic that was going on, this was a major accomplishment for Bellator. In addition to that, the promotion moved over to CBS Sports Network which was another big step for the promotion.

Bellator being on a sports network is a really big deal for the promotion moving forward. On top of those things, the promotion has made some major signings this year which has deepened their talent pool.

All of this has happened while the promotion has also put on some great fights. There have been so many good matchups since Bellator returned back in July. However, there’s one fight to me that sticks out as the promotion’s fight of the year.

Bellator’s Fight of the Year in 2020

After going back through 2020 for Bellator, there is one fight that stands out to me as the clear fight of the year. That would be the matchup for the vacant bantamweight championship between Juan Archuleta (25-2) and Patchy Mx (13-1).

This fight had a ton of steam behind it leading into Bellator 246. Archuleta was known as one of the very best in the promotion, however, he wasn’t able to quite grasp a Bellator championship.

He lost a featherweight title fight last year to Patricio Pitbull and he had been passed over for a bantamweight title fight. However, he finally got his shot at Bellator 246. The undefeated Patchy Mix stood in his way.

Mix is a sensational grappler who had finished nine of his thirteen wins by submission. This fight promised to deliver, and in my opinion it did just that. Early on in the fight, Mix dominated with his superior grappling.

However, the veteran savvy of Archuleta paid dividends in this one. As the Bellator 246 main event went on, Mix really started to fade from a cardio perspective. After getting outgrappled early, Archuleta completely took over in the later rounds.

Ultimately, Archuleta walked away with unanimous decision victory and the title of bantamweight champion. A classic back-and-forth title fight in an exciting division proved to be the best fight for Bellator in 2020.

Juan Archuleta will defend Bellator title against Sergio Pettis in 2021

by
Juan Archuleta

Last month, Bellator crowned a new bantamweight champion. That champion’s name is Juan Archuleta. Archuleta took on Patchy Mix on September 12th and walked away with a unanimous decision and the Bellator bantamweight title.

It was a massive moment of redemption for Archuleta who had long been after the Bellator title. When there was a state of limbo at bantamweight, Archuleta went up to featherweight to fight Patricio Pitbull to try go capture a title.

However, Pitbull turned away Archuleta. After fighting to an impressive 24-2 record, Archuleta finally got his chance at Bellator 246. Mix looked really good early on, but Archuleta remained patient. The vet had a game plan and he executed it perfectly.

Archuleta knew that Mix would tire in the championship rounds. That is exactly what happened, and Archuleta took over the fight capturing the Bellator title. Today, we learned who Archuleta’s first title defense would come against.

Archuleta made an appearance today on “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” where he announced his next plans. “Our next fight, we’re shooting for the first of the year. The the first card back (after the new year) against Sergio Pettis. That’s the fight I originally wanted for the belt,” Archuleta said.

Bellator’s next bantamweight title fight

Sergio Pettis has looked really good since making the jump from the UFC to Bellator. Since joining the Viacom promotion, Pettis has gone 3-0. His last fight he looked very good using his technical striking to defeat Ricky Bandejas at Bellator 242.

Many people believed that Pettis would get the next shot at whoever won at Bellator 246. Now, we know for sure that Pettis will be the first challenger to Archuleta’s title. This should be a fantastic matchup for Bellator to kickoff their 2021 schedule.

Pettis is going to present some interesting challenges for Archuleta. His technical striking and range control could help him win the title. However, Archuleta is a handful for anyone and it’s going to be extremely tough getting that belt away from him now.

After Bellator Milan win, is James Gallagher in title contention?

by

This past weekend at Bellator Milan, James Gallagher (11-1) made a statement with his performance. The confident Irish bantamweight submitted a very tough and game Callum Ellenor (8-3) in the first round of their main event at Bellator Milan.

There was a lot of heat between the two bantamweights leading up to the contest. Gallagher shoved Ellenor at the pre-fight weigh in ceremony to draw up interest. Throughout the fight, Gallagher did a very good job of beating Ellenor wherever the fight took place.

Gallagher did a fantastic job of using his good kicks to keep Ellenor at range to start the fight. As soon as Ellenor tried to return a kick, Gallagher caught it and dragged him to the ground. That is where Gallagher completely took control of the fight.

Once the two were on the ground, it was all Gallagher. Ellenor tried to get up a few times, but ended up giving up his back to Gallagher. Once Gallagher has your back, you’re in deep trouble. The Irish bantamweight locked up a rear naked choke and won his fourth straight in the Bellator cage.

Bellator Title Contention?

Gallagher trains at the same gym as Conor McGregor, and he’s bitten off a little bit of that McGregor swagger. Gallagher was the hottest prospect in Bellator prior to him getting demolished by Ricky Bandejas back at Bellator 204.

That was a very humbling fight for Gallagher who had to refocus his career after that loss. Since that fight, Gallagher has gone 4-0 with three wins by rear naked choke inside the Bellator cage. After the fight, Gallagher said that he was coming for that bantamweight title.

Juan Archuleta just captured the vacant title with his win over Patchy Mix back at Bellator 246. Sergio Pettis is likely going to get the next shot at Archuleta. With that in mind, perhaps the promotion could book Gallagher against Patchy Mix.

The winner would definitely be deserving of a shot at the bantamweight title. I think it’s time for Gallagher to take that step up to really elite competition in the Bellator cage. It doesn’t get much better than top contender Patchy Mix.

Bellator 246 Recap: Juan Archuleta captures the bantamweight title

by
Juan Archuleta

Tonight, Bellator hosted it’s second event in the last two days. A solid night was headlined by the vacant bantamweight title fight between Patrick “Patchy” Mix (13-0) and Juan Archuleta (24-2). This was one of the Bellator fights I was really looking forward to this year.

Both of these men are two of the very best that Bellator has to offer. Mix came in undefeated with extremely slick skills on the ground. Archuleta is a vet who has only lost once since 2015. Both men came in with a ton of momentum looking to become a Bellator champ.

Early Dominance from Patchy Mix

The main event of the evening was set to crown the new Bellator bantamweight champion. Patchy Mix and Juan Archuleta both came out ready to take the title and establish themselves as one of the best bantamweights in the world.

The first round really showed off the elite ground skills of Patchy Mix. Mix was able to get Archuleta down in the first round, and he controlled the majority of the round from Archuleta’s back. The second round saw much of the same.

The two fighters got into a grappling exchange early in the second, and Mix was able to secure the back again. In this round however, Archuleta was able to reverse the position with about one minute left in the round.

Archuleta had some good moments, but I had it 2-0 for Patchy Mix through two. The third round saw a complete switch in the momentum. Mix looked tired to start the third, and Archuleta really put his foot on the gas ripping shots to the head and the body.

Championship Experience pays off for Archuleta

The third round was a clear win for Archuleta. Mix had never been to a fourth round in his career, and it looked like it based on his energy levels to start the round. Archuleta was really stifling Mix with his level changes and speed. Archuleta even landed a takedown in the fourth round.

Patchy Mix did start to find his range late in the fourth, but the round still belonged to Archuleta. Mix did look like he was starting to catch a second wind as the fourth round came to a close. I had it 2-2 going into the final round.

Juan Archuleta put on a show in the final round of the fight. Archuleta unleashed a fury of devastating body shots the really seemed to hurt Mix throughout the round. Mix was game in the fifth, but Archuleta’s experience really paid off in the championship rounds.

I gave the fight 3-2 to Archuleta and all three judges agreed scoring the contest (49-46, 48-47, 48-47). Archuleta captures that Bellator championship that has alluded him. I would not be surprised if these two stood across from each other again in the future.

Bellator 246 Results

Bellator 246 saw former UFC title challenger, Liz Carmouche (14-7), make her promotional debut. She took on DeAnna Bennett (10-7-1). Carmouche had to deal with some adversity in the second round of the fight, but she went on to secure a Rear Naked Choke in the third round.

In the co-main event of the evening, Jon Fitch (32-8-2, 1 NC) took on Neiman Gracie (10-1). Fitch had moments in this one, but when you’re on the ground with a Gracie, bad things can happen. Gracie locked up a nice Heel Hook to secure his seventh Bellator submission victory.