Patchy Mix Suffers Another Setback as RIZIN Cuts Former Bellator Champion
Patchy Mix has been released from the second promotion in just over a year after putting together one of the most impressive Bellator runs.
Patchy Mix was once considered one of the world's best bantamweights. Now, the ex-Bellator bantamweight kingpin sits with a disastrous 4-fight losing skid and another fight contract cut short.
Patchy Mix Enters Free Agency Again
Patchy Mix's RIZIN contract seems to have come to a premature end after the bantamweight suffered a humiliating 0-2 run with the Japanese promotion. Dropkick broke the news first, adding that Mix was removed from RIZIN's active roster, with the rest of his contract terminated.
The organization has yet to provide a formal announcement of Patchy Mix's removal. The move, however, is anything but random.
This development comes as the striker continues his astonishing decline in the combat sports circuit. Producing one of the most dominant streaks in Bellator, with an impressive 20-1, No Love finally landed a contract with the UFC in May 2025.
Victories over Kyoji Horiguchi, Raufeon Stots, Magomed Magomedov, and Sergio Pettis only added to his appeal as Patchy Mix made his long-awaited trip to the Octagon. That stint, however, was underwhelming at best. Back-to-back decision losses to Mario Bautista and Jakub Wiklacz forced the UFC to cut his contract short.
While this terrible spell would have deflated anyone, Mix gave himself another chance to bounce back, albeit in a losing effort.
Patchy Mix: A Waning Force?
The Bellator veteran wasn't one to accept defeat, quickly signing with RIZIN in hopes of a second wind. This time at a higher weight class, featherweight. The spell didn't go as planned, however.
19-year-old prospect Kyoma Akimoto flatlined the seasoned veteran at 0:37 of the second round, resulting in Mix's first stoppage loss. That makes a statement on its own, with a once-sweeping force who seemed to have lost his edge.
After a disastrous promotion debut at RIZIN 52, No Love dropped back down to bantamweight for a clash against Shoko Sato. That decision may have backfired, however, with Mix missing weight by a staggering 6.3 pounds. The scale showed 140.7 lbs for a division that capped at 134.4 lbs.
After suffering a 2-point deduction, No Love ultimately failed to overcome that scorecard disadvantage. Had the losing skid not been enough, the weight miss only made things worse. RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara publicly criticized the fighter's shortcomings, floating the possibility of removing Mix from the roster.
That seems to have become a reality now, as the bantamweight is once again left without a contract in less than two years. At 33, Patchy Mix certainly has years left inside the cage. But his recent 4-fight macabre has somewhat marred that possibility.
Is it simply a rough patch for the former Bellator champion? Or should Mix finally hang up his gloves?
