Patchy Mix is not overlooking James Gallagher, but thinks their ground games are not on the same level.
With both Mix (14-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) and Gallagher (11-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) finishing almost all their fights by submission, fans can expect some high-level grappling when the pair square off in the co-main event of Bellator 270 on Friday.
But Mix, who’s been eager to settle his grudge match with Gallagher, thinks there’s a big difference between the caliber of opponents both men have faced.
“James does have a good ground game, and I would be naive to look past that,” Mix said at a virtual pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I trained for his ground game, but his ground game is nowhere near my level. The only way his ground game could be is if I slept on it, and I didn’t think he was good as he actually is. It’s not that he’s not good, it’s just that I’m levels ahead of him. So that’s why I feel like there’s going to be a disparity on the ground.
“Also, a lot of people talk about his ground game, but they don’t talk about his level of competition. All of his guys that he’s ever fought, if you look at every single person, including the loss that he has, every single person has multiple losses – anywhere from three to seven-plus losses, every single opponent he’s ever had. He’s never fought a guy like me.
“I fought 26 times and the only time I’ve ever lost was a close decision to the ex-world champion. Besides that, I’ve never really dropped rounds. James’ level of competition has been soft and it’s easy to submit those types of guys. If I was in the same position, I would have submitted everybody that he did, but I would have done it faster. So his level of competition, it’s just been soft. It’s been tailor-made for his career.”
Bellator 270 takes place Friday at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out Mix’s full virtual pre-fight news conference in the video above.
Patchy Mix: James Gallagher’s ground game is good, but it’s ‘nowhere near my level’
