Well, well, well. What do yo know? The master of the back take took his opponent’s back and finished him to claim the undisputed Bellator bantamweight championship.
Patchy Mix can lay clam to that title after he surgically submitted champ Sergio Pettis on Friday night at Bellator 301. Mix used what else but a rear-naked choke to make Pettis tap out at the 1:51 mark in the co-main event at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
After a first round in which Mix (19-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) had all the control time, he went right back to it in the second round. Unlike the first when he struggled to mount any major threats, Mix closed distance on Pettis (23-6 MMA, 5-1 BMMA) and immediately spun behind him. Mix pushed off the cage to get the fight down to the mat and from there used clean technique to secure the finish, trapping Pettis’ right arm with his leg while working for the choke. With only one arm to defend, Pettis didn’t stand a chance and had no choice but to quit.
UNDISPUTED! 👑@TeamMixMMA has done it! Mix submits @sergiopettis to claim the bantamweight world championship in Chicago.#Bellator301 | LIVE NOW | @SHOsports 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/CQL9Axqn2x
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 18, 2023
“I’m the best in the world,” Mix said after the win. “135, I’m the best in the world.”
Since failing to claim gold from then-champ Juan Archuleta in September 2020, Mix has won six in a row and entered Friday night as the interim champ at 135 pounds after winning the promotion’s Bellator grand prix.
For Pettis, it’s his first loss in Bellator. He was on a five-fight winning streak in the promotion since leaving the UFC in 2019.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 301 results include:
- Patchy Mix def. Sergio Pettis via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:51; to unify undisputed bantamweight title
- Raufeon Stots def. Danny Sabatello via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- A.J. McKee def. Sidney Outlaw via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Alexander Shabliy def. Patricky Freire via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – advances to lightweight grand prix final
- Archie Colgan def. Pieter Buist via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Denise Kielholtz def. Sumiko Inaba via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Timur Khizriev def. Justin Gonzales via unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Keri Melendez def. Sabriye Sengul via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:06
- Matheus Mattos def. Richard Palencia via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:20
- Ramazan Kuramagomedov def. Randall Wallace via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:49
- Islam Mamedov def. Killys Mota via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Cody Law def. Jefferson Pontes via unanimous decision (30-27,30-27, 30-27)
- Tim Wilde def. Mike Hamel via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:47
- Yves Landu def. Isao Kobayashi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.
