Tapology Overturns Patchy Mix's Rizin 54 Loss & The Reaction
Patchy Mix missed weight and lost his fight, but Tapology has him as
Rizin 54 on Tuesday was a night of exciting finishes and fights, but the fights didn't end that night. In the co-main event, former Bellator champion Patchy Mix took on Rizin veteran Shoko Sato, with Sato winning the fight by decision. The only problem was Mix missed weight for the fight, and Rizin and the Japan MMA Official Committee (JMOC) have strict rules for weight start off with a 2-point deduction. Tapology, a website many use for MMA data, declared Mix the winner despite Sato getting his hand raised. The decision by Tapology caused a stir among MMA fans.
Patchy Mix Misses Weight
On the day of weigh-ins for Rizin 54, Patchy Mix missed the bantamweight limit for Rizin which is 134.4 pounds. He weight in at 140.7 pounds. This was the second time he missed in this weight class, the first being in his fight with James Gallagher.
Per the rules of Rizin, if you miss weight, there are financial penalities, along with not being able to score an official victory and starting the fight a 2 point deduction. If the fighter who misses weight gets a finish, it is deemed by the promotion as a no-contest.
Previous fights that ended this way were when Johnny Case knocked out Juri Ohara and Kleber Koike, who submitted Chihiro Suzuki. Koike was also stripped of the featherweight belt and ineligible to win the fight.
Shoko Sato vs Patchy Mix
The fight between Sato and Mix showed off the strong abilities of both fighters. In the first round, Mix took Sato's back and was able to threaten numerous rear-naked chokes. Despite not finishing him, Mix was able to control him from the back for most of the round. The second round saw Sato target Mix's leg with inside calf kicks as well as strong crosses and jabs.
Mix barely defended any strikes during the round. In the final round, Mix was able to take down Sato, but Sato was able to get back to his fight and finished the fight with strong pressure and strikes that kept Mix backing up. The judges all gave the fight 28-27 to Sato.
The Reaction
In a move that sparked debate within the MMA fandom, Tapology has listed the fight as a win for Mix despite an official ruling by the judges. Tapology issued a statement on X defending their position.
Zac Pauga's Reaction To The Decision
Many fans were not happy with the decision by Tapology. Former UFC fighter and Dirty Boxing fighter Zac Pauga even weighed in with his thoughts:
