Bellator champion chronicles 'surreal' feeling after UFC signing

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Zain Bando | Last updated May 18, 2025 2:23 PM ET

(Bellator MMA/PFL)

Patchy Mix did it.

After months of patience, the UFC finally came calling. For the 31-year-old, it's truly a dream come true. Mix spent nearly five years in Bellator, where he got his hand raised in 9 of 10 fights and won and defended the promotion's bantamweight belt.

"It sounds [like I'm] just where I belong," Mix told reporters following UFC Vegas 106 Saturday. "So many years. So many fights, as a matter of fact. To finally be here is surreal."

Bellator was absorbed into the PFL at the end of last year, fully beginning its new era with the current season. Mix was scheduled to fight Leandro Higo at a would-be Bellator event in Chicago, IL last year, but the event was scrapped, as was his title defense.

Patchy Mix Discusses Rough Bellator Exit

"Everyone knew what I'd do to [beat] Leandro Higo," Mix said. "I just wanted to earn some money and stuff and stay active and keep getting better, keep growing. When that fight got pulled, I didn't know when I'd fight."

Now he knows. The UFC announced his debut during the UFC Vegas 106 broadcast, as he'll take on Mario Bautista at UFC 316 on June 7. A win there, and the sky's the limit for the 20-1 sensation.

"I'm not afraid of anyone in this division, especially [not] Mario Bautista," Mix said. "He's on a seven-fight win streak and I want that seven-fight win streak. When they called me, I answered it. I'll make weight and I'll get the job done."

Mix said signing a UFC deal was almost instantaneous from the time he was officially released from the PFL.

Patchy Mix Shares How Mario Bautista Fight Came To Be

"It happened to be him and I think 'Chito' Vera popped his rib or something," Mix said about the situation. "They called me within an hour or two. I was like, 'Hell yeah.' Within a day, I think it was getting made."

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Mix's signing adds new star power to the lighter weight divisions. Whether he can capitalize on winning a UFC title within the next few years remains to be seen.