This past weekend in the co-main event of Bellator 301, the bantamweight title was on the line. Sergio Pettis (23-6) was looking to defend his title against the interim champion and the man who won the Bantamweight Grand Prix, Patchy Mix (19-1).
While this was the official co-main event, many were looking at this fight as the true main event of Bellator 301. The fight we all wanted to see pairing Pettis against arguably the best bantamweight in the world in Patchy Mix.
Mix fell short a couple of years ago in his first undisputed title fight, but he’s looked like a world-beater since that loss to Juan Archuleta. He continues to evolve in terms of his striking and his ground game is next-level. There were a lot of questions surrounding how he would do against the striking and speed of Sergio Pettis.
The first round was really a wash with both men having decent moments. However, it was the second round where everything changed. Mix was able to get the fight to the ground and that’s where he shined. He took the back of Pettis beautifully and it didn’t take long for him to secure a choke and get the tap to become Bellator bantamweight champion.
After Bellator 301, is Mix the best in the world?
There is a large amount of people in the world who believe that Patchy Mix is the best bantamweight regardless of promotion. The Bellator champion has proved just how skillful and dangerous he is wherever a fight takes place. That said, can we honestly say that he’s the best in the world?
I’m going to give a cop out answer and say maybe. However, I cannot give him the title as the best in the world as of now. There is some competition in the UFC I would like to see him up against before giving him that title. Say what you want about Sean O’Malley, but his wins over Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling rank ahead of any win that Mix has as of now.
Especially the Sterling win. Aljamain Sterling would be a perfect opponent for Mix given his skillset and honestly I’d love to see that fight. O’Malley – Mix would be a sensational fight and that would really be the only way for me to believe that Mix is the best in the world currently. Bellator’s champ might be the best in terms of skillset, but on resume, I can’t put him there as of now.