What a difference two years can make.
Former Bellator Bantamweight champion and two-fight UFC veteran Patchy Mix has been released by RIZIN after a disastrous two-fight run with the Japanese promotion. According to Dropkick, Mix was removed from RIZIN’s active roster and had the remainder of his contract terminated.
RIZIN has not formally announced his departure.
Mix was considered one of the best bantamweights on the planet following impressive Bellator victories over Kyoji Horiguchi, Raufeon Stots
(watch highlights), Magomed Magomedov and Sergio Pettis. His dominant run eventually earned him a UFC contract in May 2025, but his long-awaited arrival inside the Octagon quickly went sideways.
“No Love” dropped consecutive decisions to Mario Bautista and Jakub Wiklacz, prompting UFC to release him after just two appearances. Mix then signed with RIZIN and moved up to Featherweight in hopes of rebuilding his career overseas.
Unfortunately, things only got worse.
The 33-year-old was knocked out by 19-year-old prospect Kyoma Akimoto in his promotional debut at RIZIN 52, suffering the first stoppage loss of his professional career. Mix then moved back down to Bantamweight for a fight against Shoko Sato at RIZIN 54.
Mix missed weight by a staggering 6.3 pounds, coming in at 140.7 pounds for the 134.4-pound contest. The massive miss resulted in a two-point deduction, and Mix was unable to win the fight officially under RIZIN’s special rules. Sato ultimately defeated him via unanimous decision.
RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara publicly criticized Mix following the weight miss, calling the situation unacceptable. Promotion officials later acknowledged that terminating his contract was a possibility.
That possibility has now reportedly become reality.
Mix leaves RIZIN with an 0-2 record since joining the promotion full-time and has lost four consecutive fights across UFC and RIZIN. It’s an astonishing fall for a fighter who arrived in UFC with a 20-1 record and a reputation as one of the biggest free-agent signings in recent memory.
Mix is now a free agent once again — his third different employment status in less than two years.
