Free agent no more! Yes, former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix has finally arrived in the UFC, which was announced during the recent UFC Vegas 106 event. ‘No Love’ addressed the media after signing with Dana White‘s promotion, discussing his upcoming bout against Mario Bautista at UFC 316 and even other potential matchups, including a showdown against the reigning bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili.

For the unversed, Patchy Mix and Merab Dvalishvili (who primarily trains at Serra-Longo Fight Team) have trained together at Xtreme Couture in the past. Along with Aljamain Sterling, the duo have constantly helped each other out in their previous fights and have a huge amount of respect for one another. As a reporter asked him about fighting a teammate down the line, Mix claimed that he already had a conversation with Dvalishvili, and made sure to let him know that if he comes for the title, it will be “just business” and nothing personal.

“Like a couple months ago, we had been in the gym and I’ve seen him and I told him, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen with my PFL deal and I want to be a man to and I want to come to you and tell you I many come over there,'” Patchy Mix stated at the UFC Vegas 106 post-fight presser. The former Bellator champion further added that he wasn’t surprised that he got paired up with a top 10 contender for his debut fight.

In fact, he was looking to fight a top 5 contender. After all, ‘No love’ has an impressive 20-1 record and was one of the most talked about fighters outside of the UFC. Coming to the UFC, every fighter has just one goal, and that’s to become champion and offer a better life to their families. That’s exactly what the former Bellator champ has in mind, and so he won’t back down if he gets presented a fight for the title against Merab Dvalishvili.

“Me being a three-time world champion, demolishing everybody that I fought over the last few years, I know I would get a push towards the top of the division,” Patchy Mix added. “You know, I told him as a man that I could potentially be coming over here and that if we did fight, I would hope it would be for the title down the line, and it’s just business. His dreams are the same dreams as I have.”

Well, Merab Dvalishvili is yet to share his reaction to Patchy Mix signing with the UFC. But in the meantime, his best friend and neighbor, Aljamain Sterling, took to social media and expressed his thoughts on the ex-Bellator star’s arrival. Here’s what he had to say.

Aljamain Sterling reacts to Patchy Mix joining the UFC

Aljamain Sterling was glued to Patchy Mix’s interview when the former Bellator star addressed the media. While talking about the relationship Merab Dvalishvili and ‘No Love’ have with each other, ‘Funk Master’ seemed pretty interested to see how things pan out between them in the bantamweight division. While his tweet did indicate the point about loyalty, he wasn’t undermining the goals that Mix has, much like any other fighter in the promotion.

“With this Patchy Mix interview, it’ll be interesting to see how things go from here. 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,” Aljamain Sterling wrote on X. Meanwhile, a fan responded to the former champion, suggesting lowering his expectations regarding loyalty from Patchy Mix compared to Merab Dvalishvili.

But ‘Funk Master’ responded by claiming that fans don’t really have the whole idea behind him and the current champion’s agreement not to fight each other. And when it comes to Patchy Mix, Aljamain Sterling claimed, “It’s not the same relationship,” like the one he has with Merab Dvalishvili. Well, it will be interesting to see how things pan out for the bantamweight division and these teammates. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.