Respect Me Like You Respect O’Malley

Patchy Mix is set to defend his Bellator MMA Bantamweight title this Friday (May 17, 2024) in the main event of Bellator, Paris. The talented 135-pounder won the interim strap in April 2023 by defeating Raufeon Stots, then unified the titles by defeating then-champion, Sergio Pettis, at Bellator 301 seven months later (relive it here), upping his record to 19-1 and solidifying himself as one of the best in the division.

Still, he doesn’t feel as if he is getting the respect that he properly deserves…at least not when compared to current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 135-pound title holder, Sean O’Malley.

“I have most finishes in bantamweight history, I have the most submissions in bantamweight history, and I could go down as the best bantamweight champion in Bellator history. But for some reason, I can’t get the respect that O’Malley has,” Mix told MMA Junkie Radio.

It’s that lack of respect that Mix says drives him to be better, even if statistically speaking he is better than “Suga.”

“Even though he’s 18-1 and less than me in record and finishes, it seems I can’t really get the respect. So I think that’s what drives me every single day is just to wake up and prove that I’m as dominant as I believe I am.”

“I’ve never been finished. My loss is razor close,” Mix said. “I’m one round removed from being undefeated. The one guy that beat me, he just kind of survived me. I’ve never had anyone finish me. I’ve never really had anyone come close.”

Both men became undisputed Bantamweight champions for the respective promotions around the same time in 2023, though O’Malley already has one title defense under his belt after defeating Marlon Vera at UFC 299, and his next defense could come against Mrab Dvalishvili.

Sadly, the age-old question as to who is the best in a one-on-one matchup inside the cage will never be answered unless one man bolts on company for the other. For now, all we can do is specualte as to what would happen if these two talented men actually threw down.

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