Former UFC champion Kamaru Usman believes Patchy Mix’s disastrous UFC debut began in the hours before he made the walk at UFC 316.
After becoming one of the UFC’s biggest signings in recent years, former Bellator champ Patchy Mix fell well short of the mark in his debut at UFC 316.
UFC bantamweight contender Mario Bautista ended Mix’s seven-fight win streak to cement himself as a name to watch in the division’s title mix. It was a head-scratching performance from Mix, who opted for a striking-heavy approach instead of using his elite grappling skill set against Bautista in the Octagon.
Mix’s attempt at a quick ascent up the UFC bantamweight rankings ended up setting him back in his promotional debut. But according to a former UFC champion, Mix’s attempt at a victorious debut was doomed beginning at Friday’s official weigh-in.
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Kamaru Usman blames Patchy Mix’s disastrous UFC debut on poor weight cut
In a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, former UFC champion Kamaru Usman weighed in on what went wrong for Mix at UFC 316.
“Honestly, I think Patchy Mix cuts too much weight,” Usman said of Mix.
“He looked like his body was not responding, that’s not the Patchy Mix that we’re used to seeing. Everything was flat. Patchy Mix threw one, real, punch. That was a right hook, and that was it. Head movement wasn’t there, and it was a right hook and right counter hook [the whole time]…
“Patchy Mix has all the skills, a lot of skills, and I think he definitely can be at the top of this division. But I think we need to think about that weight cut, because it looked bad and I think it was that weight cut.”
Mix hadn’t missed weight since Bellator 270, when he defeated James Gallagher in a catchweight bout in the third round. Mix went on to win the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix with wins over Raufeon Stots, Magomed Magomedov, and Kyoji Horiguchi.
Despite the loss at UFC 316, Mix remains in good spirits as he prepares for a comeback fight later this year. Mix recently sent a fiery message to his critics after a swarm of online hate for the former Bellator champ after falling short in his UFC debut.
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Kamaru Usman looks to turn back the clock in UFC Atlanta welterweight return
After watching Mix and the UFC 316 fighters last weekend, Usman is looking for his own redemption as he returns to the welterweight division this Saturday at UFC Atlanta. Usman and Joaquin Buckley headline a stacked card to mark the UFC’s long-awaited return to State Farm Arena.
Usman returns to the welterweight division for the first time since his back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards at UFC 278 and UFC 286. He made his middleweight debut in his most-recent fight at UFC 294, losing to Khamzat Chimaev on short notice by majority decision.
Usman faces a top-level challenge in his 170 lb return in Buckley, who has been on a roll since making the full-time transition to welterweight. Buckley has earned recent wins over Colby Covington, Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque during his welterweight ascent.
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