Merab Dvalishvili's coach gets 100% real about Patchy Mix's UFC debut loss: "None of it was surprising"
Merab Dvalishvili's coach, John Wood, recently took part in an interview with Submission Radio. During the sitdown, Wood shared his thoughts on Patchy Mix's lopsided unanimous decision loss to Mario Bautista at UFC 316, which was the former's promotional debut.
Prior to the fight, Mix was riding the wave of a seven-fight win streak, with a recent Bellator bantamweight title defense against the tough Magomed Magomedov. Unfortunately, come his UFC debut, Mix was listless. According to Wood, Bautista was just too good an opponent for a UFC debutant:
"I've gone on record, that was a tough first outing. And you're coming into that, that was one of the loudest arenas I've ever been into. And Patchy talked himself up good and rightfully so, like come in, swagger, make a name for yourself, do whatever you gotta do, but the UFC is different."
Even more stunning was Wood's admission that he wasn't surprised by Mix's loss to Bautista:
"Getting in front of that crowd and especially a crowd like that and with a guy like that, it's just different. So, I'm sure Patchy will be back. I'm sure he'll get it together and I'm sure he'll build himself into a position, but no, none of it was surprising."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's coach discussing Patchy Mix's UFC loss (15:10):
Bellator fighters struggling for success in the octagon has become something of a trend in the UFC. Besides Mix's latest loss, there is also Bellator's greatest-ever fighter, Patrício 'Pitbull' Freire, who lost to Yaír Rodriguez at UFC 314, which also saw Michael Chandler, another Bellator great lose to Paddy Pimblett.
Patchy Mix's former training partner Merab Dvalishvili was successful at UFC 316
While Patchy Mix suffered a humbling loss against the #10 bantamweight in the UFC, his friend and training partner Merab Dvalishvili was fairly dominant in his bout. Dvalishvili showcased a much-improved striking game and a glimpse of finishing instinct against Sean O'Malley.
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's winning moment below:
After outstriking and outwrestling O'Malley for two rounds, the Georgian phenom secured a rare north-south choke in round three, forcing 'Suga' to tap out. It was Dvalishvili's first submission win in the UFC, and his first finish overall since TKO'ing Marlon Moraes at UFC 266 in 2021.