Bellator MMA has decided to keep a former title
challenger on its upcoming card instead of rescheduling his grudge
match for later.
MMA Junkie first reported the news on Thursday that Patrick Mix
(13-1) has elected to remain on
Bellator 258 and receive a new opponent. Mix was originally
slated to face James
Gallagher, but the Brit was forced out of their bantamweight
battle. In Gallagher’s stead will be Albert
Morales (10-6-1). Although the promotion has yet to comment on
the matchup, the new pairing has since been confirmed by
other outlets and Mix via his Twitter.
Mix suffered his first career defeat when he vied for the 135-pound
throne in his last time out. Against Juan
Archuleta, Mix dropped a hard-fought but one-sided decision to
“The Spaniard,” which also put an end to a streak where “Patchy”
had finished his foe in eight consecutive bouts. The Angola, N.Y.,
native earned a crack at the belt after a pair of wins with
Bellator and a Rizin Fighting Federation crossover matchup
against Yuki Motoya,
where all three victories came in the opening round.
Six-time Ultimate Fighting Championship vet Morales left
the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2018 on the heels of a trio of
defeats to Brett Johns,
Benito
Lopez and Manny
Bermudez. “The Warrior” then appeared on the ill-fated Golden
Boy MMA event, where he was forced to tap out to an armbar to
James
Barnes. Three wins and one defeat, all inside the distance,
have revived the Californian’s career to this point. This Bellator
appearance will be his first MMA bout since 2019, but it will not
be his promotional debut, as he competed twice at Bellators 132 and
137 in 2015 to victorious results.
Bellator 258 goes down on May 7 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in
Uncasville, Conn., with a championship main event for the
bantamweight belt as Juan
Archuleta defends against Sergio
Pettis. Other fights on the main card include a light
heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal rumble between Anthony
Johnson and Yoel Romero,
a lightweight tilt between Patricky
Freire and Peter
Queally and a welterweight clash pitting Michael
Page against Derek
Anderson.