Patchy Mix has revealed he had a chat with Merab Dvalishvili before joining the UFC.
The former Bellator bantamweight champion was recently released from his PFL contract.
Just days later, it was confirmed that the hottest free agent in MMA has joined the UFC.
Patchy Mix will step in to replace the injured Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera and face Mario Bautista at UFC 316.
Patchy Mix’s man-to-man conversation with Merab Dvalishvili
Patchy Mix is a long-time training partner of Merab Dvalishvili, who will headline the June 7 pay-per-view.
The UFC bantamweight champion will defend his belt against the man from whom he took it, Sean O’Malley.
Wins for Mix and Dvalishvili at UFC 316 will push the pair towards a fight for 135lb gold.
“Just business,” Mix insisted when asked about the potential matchup at UFC Vegas 106.
“A couple of months ago, we had been in the gym and I saw him. I told him, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen with my PFL deal, and I wanna be a man to you and tell you I might come over there’.
“Being a three-time champion and demolishing everybody that I’ve fought in the past few years, I knew I’d get a push towards the top of the division.
“I told him, as a man, that I could be potentially coming over here, and that if we did fight, I hope it could be for a title down the line.
“I’m doing this for my family and that title comes with setting your family up for life.
“So, it doesn’t matter who is in the way. It doesn’t matter who.”
Aljamain Sterling reacts to Patchy Mix’s UFC signing
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is the best of friends with Merab Dvalishvili.
The training partners refused to fight each other when they were both at the top of the 135lb division.
Sterling is now competing at featherweight and is keen to see how the Mix-Merab situation plays out.
“With this Patchy Mix interview, it’ll be interesting to see how things go from here,” he tweeted on Saturday.
“Merab and I have both trained with him a bunch. All interesting to see how things change.
“Obviously Mix has goals. That’s not overlooked.”