Tomorrow night on the main card of Bellator 289, we are going to see a semifinal matchup in the bantamweight Grand Prix. Former title challenger Patchy Mix (16-1) will look to book his ticket to the finals as he takes on Magomed Magomedov (19-2).
Both of these men have only lost twice in their Bellator tenure. For Patchy Mix, that loss came back when he took on Juan Archuleta for the bantamweight championship. After a hot start, Mix faded and ultimately lost a decision. That said, he enters this bout on the heels of two huge wins against James Gallagher and Kyoji Horiguchi.
Standing in his way tomorrow is Magomedov. Magomedov won his first two Bellator fights which led him to a battle with current interim champion Raufeon Stots lost August. Magomedov came up short in that one. However, he bounced back strong in the opening round of the Grand Prix with a win over Enrique Barzola.
Bellator 289 Prediction
This is going to be a battle of grapplers. Unlike when you typically see a battle of grapplers turn into a standup fight, I think we are going to see a lot of ground fighting. The slick jiu jitsu of Patchy Mix against the wrestling and control of Magomed Magomedov at Bellator 289.
I actually really like Magomedov in this matchup. When they get into their grappling exchanges, I like his ability to secure the top position and lock up control. One thing to watch in this matchup would be the sweeps of Patchy Mix and his ability to quickly turn the tables on the round.
However, over the course of five rounds, I like Magomedov to book his ticket to the finals and a shot at the Bellator interim bantamweight championship.
Prediction: Magomed Magomedov by Decision