Though he’s known primarily as a submission specialist, Patrick Mix
proved he has other weapons in his arsenal in the Bellator
295 headliner on Saturday night.
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The New York native completed his run through the Bellator
bantamweight grand prix by knocking out Raufeon
Stots with a perfectly-timed knee 1:20 into Round 1 of their
encounter at the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
While it was just the second career KO/TKO triumph for Mix, it was
something he anticipated heading into his matchup with Stots.
“I’ve been working that shot. Right before we walked out, we were
drilling good, and it landed. We put him out,” Mix said at the
post-fight press conference. “I developed that knee because, as a
southpaw, I’m going against orthodox styles. I’ve been working that
shot since 18 months ago in Ireland. I knew that Stots shoots. He’s
so naive to think that I’m just a grappler. I’m a dog in the gym.
No one outworks me. I know I don’t have a lot of knockouts, because
I submit people, but don’t think I’m not a striker. It’s just the
easiest way to win.”
Mix’s past experience with Stots led him to believe he’d have an
advantage in the grand prix final.
“He trained with me ahead of the Horiguchi fight,” Mix said. “It
gave me a benchmark: to work harder than I saw him working. Not
only did I believe I could submit him because my training partners
have submitted him in the past, but that I could knock him out of
the feet. When I do what I do, I finish that guy every day of the
week.”
Though Stots engaged in some pre-fight trash talk prior to Bellator
295, Mix didn’t find any extra satisfaction in an emphatic knockout
victory.
“As much as I thought it would be, it wasn’t,” he said. “There’s
nothing satisfying about putting someone out cold. He’s got a
family. We’ve both got kids. I never want to hurt him. Hearing his
story, it’s similar to mine. It’s just that we’re fighting for the
same prize. Two bad it couldn’t be two $500,000 checks.
“It’s a cruel game, but that’s the game we play. If it’s not him,
it’s me, and I’m not gonna let that happen. I want to see him again
because he was talking s—t and I was talking s—t. I don’t think
he’s going home thinking that I’m better than him, just that I
caught him. I hope to see him again down the line.”
With the victory, Mix earns $1 million and claims the interim
bantamweight belt. Now he awaits the winner of the showdown between
undisputed 135-pound champ Sergio
Pettis and Patricio
Freire, which is scheduled for Bellator 297 on June 16.
“I don’t know if Pettis wants to fight me. He picked Stots to win,
and I don’t know how he could do that,” Mix said. “I think Pitbull
takes it; you can’t pick against him. I want to fight the
pound-for-pound No. 1. I want to fight the best.
“Regardless, I believe I’m the best bantamweight in the world
today. I’m just getting better. I’m just growing into my prime now.
My first loss was because of my pride and immaturity. Now I’m older
and wise. I’m totally evolved. Im not just a grappler. I can do
everything, and I’m here to prove it.”