Patchy Mix’s UFC career didn’t live up to expectations, and he’s ready to start a new journey on the RIZIN featherweight roster.
The former Bellator champion’s move caught many by surprise, with Mix leaving the UFC shortly following an 0-2 run, and “No Love” believes it was down to finances.
Mix is scheduled to face Kyoma Akimoto in the main event of RIZIN 52 this Friday night, his first fight in Japan since he competed on RIZIN 20 as a representative of Bellator. As a UFC fighter in 2025, Mix lost fights to Mario Bautista and Jakub Wiklacz, which had fans questioning Mix’s elite status and his value to the promotion.
“I was on a high contract, like a contender contract, but it had to be at bantamweight,” Mix told MMA Fighting of his UFC departure. “I can’t afford to lose to a guy that’s unranked, you know? I just lost a split decision, first back-to-back losses in my career, it just so happened they happened in the UFC. I don’t hang my head though, I’m super honored and grateful for the opportunity. I’m super grateful to go back to RIZIN and be able to headline this card here.
“A couple of weeks after my last fight, dropping two fights and being world class at bantamweight, I really couldn’t afford to do that, especially to an unranked guy in Jakub Wiklacz. A couple of weeks after the fight, [Mix’s manager] Ali [Abdelaziz] called me. He said they were going to release me. We knew we had trouble kind of making bantamweight, so my main thing was to kind of go up to featherweight. Of course, I would have wanted that to be in the UFC, but on the contract I was on, they just couldn’t make it happen. So, you know, I wanted to sign with RIZIN and come after Razhabali Shaydullaev, the guy that has the belt there.”
With UFC disappointment now in the rear-view mirror, a run that was in sharp contrast to his 9-1 career in Bellator, Mix said, “I’m just looking ahead and just trying to be a better fighter than I was yesterday.”
“No, I wouldn’t have done it differently,” Mix said. “I would have played my cards correctly, just the way they were. I’m glad I was able to fight Mario Bautista. I’m glad I was able to, you know, just fight those fights and get the experience I needed to further my career. I’m only a better fighter because of it. And I’m hoping to show that this year in 2026. With the experience I had in 2025, it’s just going to make me better.”
RIZIN 52 marks Mix’s return to featherweight for the first time in a decade, since he competed on the regional scene in the United States. Mix said his last cuts to 135 pounds were “really brutal on my body and on my performance,” so not going through all that is an opportunity to “be healthy and kind of just rebrand my career.”
Mix was victorious in his first trip to Japan on the New Year’s Eve show in December 2019, tapping out Yuki Motoya in just 97 seconds. He has great memories of competing in front of 30,000 fans on the same card of local fan favorites such as Jiri Prochazka, Manel Kape, Tenshin Nasukawa, Tofiq Musayev and the Asakura brothers, Kai and Mikuru.
“RIZIN 20 was crazy,” Mix said. “It was my first time in Japan, my first experience overseas. Like, I had to get a passport for it, so was real cool. I got my first stamp in my passport. I remember it like it was yesterday. RIZIN 20 was a dream, man. It was one of my favorite cards I’ve ever fought on and I fought on MSG, the Dublin 3 Arena, Hawaii, in front of Donald Trump at the Prudential arena, T-Mobile here. You know, I fought everywhere and I really liked RIZIN at the Super Saitama Arena, so I’m super excited to go back right now. And I’m super excited to be the headliner.”
Mix’s return to Japan goes down at Ariake Arena, a smaller venue with about 15,000 fans in attendance, but the same atmosphere and theatrics that RIZIN fans are used to. Kyoma Akimoto has an MMA record of 11-1 with four wins in 2025, stopping his last three opponents.
“I don’t really have too many thoughts on him,” Mix said. “He’s a young stud, he’s a good kid, you know, and I’m going to take my belt off and put it right on his ass. It’ll be good.”
Razhabali Shaydullaev is the current RIZIN featherweight champion and holds a perfect MMA record with 17 finishes in 17 bouts. He knocked out Kleber Koike, Viktor Kolesnik and Mikuru Asakura in a phenomenal 2025 campaign, and Mix said he wants to “be ready for that champion”, suggesting bouts with Koike or Mikuru Asakura if victorious in his return, instead of rushing for an immediate title shot next.
“I want three fights this year,” Mix said. “I just want to stay active. I want to get mad fights before I hang it up. I want to fight now, over the summer and on the New Year’s card that they have. I definitely want on that New Year’s card though. That’s the biggest one.”
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