Bellator bantamweight contender Patchy Mix opens up about his lengthy amateur career (Exclusive)
Prior to bursting on to the scene and becoming one of Bellator's top bantamweights, Patchy Mix had a lengthy amateur career, but it wasn't by choice as MMA wasn't legalized in New York at the time.
During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Mix opened up about his amateur MMA career and noted that a lot of those bouts were against tough competition.
He said:
"Having the amateur ranks was important, man. Where I'm from in New York, professional MMA wasn't legal yet, so...a lot of my amateur fights they're professional level. I fought a guy that was 15-1 in my last amateur fight. The one before that was 13-3. You see other guys that are fighting guys that are 0-10 as their first fight as pro." [3:25 - 3:46]
'No Love' had an unbeaten 10-0 record as an amateur before transitioning to the professional level in 2016. He mentioned that he believes his amateur experience was important for his development as a fighter at the time.
"I was very good amateur but it took me a while to turn pro because of how it was in New York. Once MMA became legal in New York then I was pro...But having the extensive career, just you know, a shade less than pro fights, it's very important and it'll show." [4:16 - 4:39]
Mix will compete in the biggest fight of his MMA career so far as he is set to challenge interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots in the Bellator bantamweight Grand Prix finals, where the winner will be crowned Grand Prix champion, and win the $1 million grand prize.
Check out the full interview:
Patchy Mix plans on making a statement against Raufeon Stots at Bellator 295
Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix final #Bellator289 https://t.co/lHiRIRN37U
Patchy Mix is full of confidence ahead of his bantamweight Grand Prix final matchup against Raufeon Stots next Saturday at Bellator 295.
During the aforementioned interview, 'No Love' stated that he is hellbent on proving that he's a better fighter than Stots. He mentioned that he intends to go viral with a spectacular finish over Stots to win the Grand Prix, saying:
"I'll be tagged all over Showtime, WorldStar, and everything else next Saturday night after I strangle this little motherf*cker, so just look out for me...hashtag my name next Saturday night...and I'll be all over the place cause I'm coming for a sensational moment and I'm coming for this guy's neck." [9:56 - 10:16]