Patchy Mix is heading back to Rizin Fighting Federation.
The former UFC fighter and Bellator champion revealed at a press conference with Rizin on Wednesday that the UFC had released him of his contract roughly five-to-six weeks following his last bout, and that he’s moving up to featherweight.
“The main thing was to go up to featherweight,” Mix said. “I want to show Patchy 2.0 … Rizin was a no-brainer, if they gave me a choice, I wanted to come here.”
Mix (19-4) re-joins the Japanese promotion after a one-fight stay in 2019 — a submission victory over Yuki Motoya. His move comes after an unsuccessful stint with the UFC, losing both fights by decision.
It was a fairly surprising result given the success that followed the 32-year-old before joining Dana White’s roster.
Mix dominated the bantamweight division in Bellator during his time with the promotion, going 8-2 during his tenure while holding the title for just over a year.
He rattled off six-straight victories from May 2021 to November 2023, which included his title-winning bout and a successful defence. His final fight in Bellator was a controversial one against Magomed Magomedov for the belt, as Magomedov was named champion after a positive drug test from Mix resulted in the French MMA Federation overturning the result.
Now, Mix heads back to Rizin up a weight class where he’s scheduled to fight Kyoma Akimoto at Rizin 52 on March 7.