The former Bellator champion’s UFC chapter has closed abruptly, and the decision has already pushed him halfway across the globe. Less than a year after arriving in the Octagon with big expectations, the renowned MMA fighter has officially said goodbye to Dana White’s promotion.

According to MMA reporter Nolan King, the UFC has officially cut ties with Patchy Mix, and the 32-year-old is set to reemerge in Japan under the RIZIN banner. The move is sudden, but in hindsight, it feels like the inevitable conclusion of a run that never quite found its footing.

“The UFC has indeed released former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix,” King reported on X, adding that Mix will move up to featherweight and compete at RIZIN 52 on March 7 against Kyoma Akimoto (11-1).

King further added in a follow-up tweet, “Yeah, will be interested to hear how it all went down. Likely big contract with two disappointing showings. The weight shift could have something to do with it too.”

For Mix, it’s a reset button, and for RIZIN, it’s a recognizable name landing on their card. But to understand how things unraveled, you have to rewind. Mix entered the UFC in May 2025 after mutually parting ways with PFL following Bellator’s absorption. At the time, he was vocal, confident, and unapologetically ambitious.

In an interview with ESPN, he had claimed, “I don’t just think I’m the best bantamweight in Bellator, I think I’m the best bantamweight in the world. … You can’t find a bantamweight that has the accolades that I have. You can’t.”

Those words followed him into the Octagon. Patchy Mix’s UFC debut came on relatively short notice at UFC 316, replacing Marlon Vera against Mario Bautista. It was a tough assignment under difficult circumstances, and the result showed it. Mix lost a lopsided unanimous decision. The second fight was meant to stabilize things. Instead, it added more questions.

At UFC 320, Mix faced former KSW champion Jakub Wikacz and dropped a split decision. While 12 of 17 media outlets scored the fight in his favor, the official result still put him at 0-2 in the UFC. For the first time in his professional career, Mix was on a multi-fight losing streak. Two losses don’t usually end a career, but according to Mix himself, there were different reasons behind his decision to exit from the promotion.

Patchy Mix claims UFC release was already on the cards after his UFC 320 loss

What came next wasn’t a surprise cut, at least not to Patchy Mix. It was a delayed decision, followed by a reset, he says he actively chose. Speaking at the RIZIN press conference, Mix explained that the UFC exit wasn’t immediate or dramatic.

“So my release, the process was kind of after the last fight, waited about five, six weeks, and then Ali told me basically I was gonna be released,” he said. That window mattered. It gave him time to reflect, reassess, and decide what version of himself he wanted to present next.

And according to Mix, that version wasn’t at bantamweight anymore. The reasoning wasn’t just strategic; it was physical. Years of brutal weight cuts had drained the joy out of competing, and that context reframes the move.

Top Stories

Top-Ranked UFC Star Suspended After Failed Drug Test Forces CSAD Action

Paddy Pimblett Set to Lose Half His UFC 324 Paycheck Amid Hospital Visit and Suspension

Dana White Urged to Ditch Justin Gaethje and Book Ilia Topuria Super Fight Before Time Runs Out

Who Is Arman Tsarukyan’s Father? Nairi Tsarukyan’s Net Worth, Profession & Businesses

RIZIN, in his mind, was the obvious landing spot as he further said, “If they gave me a choice, I wanted to come here because I fought here in 2019, and it was amazing. So I wanted to come back. I love the Japanese fans. I watched Rizin for years, even after fighting in it. So it was a no-brainer for me.”

Mix also said the move to featherweight isn’t about easing into things. He wants the best guy in the division, the champion Razhabali Shaydullaev, and he sees him as the final boss. The plan is to run through whoever is put in front of him, clear out the contenders, and then come straight for the belt.

Whether “Patchy 2.0”, as he put it, delivers on that promise remains to be seen. But this isn’t a fighter fading away. It’s a fighter betting on himself again, in a place where he believes his style, mindset, and ambition can finally align.