UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Patrick Mix had a change in opponent, but his goal remains the same.
The undefeated fighter comes into Bellator 232 on Saturday night with a lot of hype, and knows the kind of performance he needs to have to get one step closer to bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi.
And while Mix believes original opponent Dominic Mazotta would have better helped his case, he also knows Isaiah Chapman is coming to take everything he has.
“Dominic Mazotta was the original opponent but he pulled out, I really wanted that name,” Mix told MMA Junkie at Thursday’s media day. “He’s from the region where I’m from. The only guys that have beaten him are AJ McKee, Cody Garbrandt and Shawn Bunch and I wanted to join those reputable names that have beaten him, so I wasn’t too mad at it. I would have liked a step up as opposed to a step back but you know with him pulling out now, I have Isaiah Chapman.
“He’s got all the opportunity in the world to come out here and take the hype from me so I have to hold my ground and basically take him out so he can’t touch what I have.”
Mix (11-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) made his mark in his Bellator debut, when he took out fellow 135-pound prospect Ricky Bandejas in the first round at Bellator 222. While Chapman wasn’t the name he was necessarily looking for, he believes a win propels him forward regardless, as his resume speaks for itself.
“I feel with a win here, a finish here, I’m 12-0 with nine finishes and my record, there’s no other undefeated guys in this bantamweight division at all, and there’s no other guys with this record and these credentials,” Mix said. “I’ve never even lost a round, so I’m on a 22-fight win streak, I’ve never lost a round, so I need these big names, and I need to dispatch these top contenders if I want to get at Horiguchi so.”
“I want the belt,” Mix added. “I want to be the first to ever bring the title belt to Jackson-Wink and that’s my goal. I want to bring a world title home.”
Bellator 232's Patrick Mix eyes Kyoji Horiguchi's title, but knows work to be done
