Mix dismantles Pettis with submission, wins Bellator bantamweight title

Patchy Mix joined Bellator in 2019 as one of the highest-rated prospects in recent memory. Four years later, he has assumed the bantamweight throne.

Mix submitted Sergio Pettis with a rear-naked choke at the 1:51 mark of the second round to become the undisputed 135-pound champion in the Bellator 301 co-main event Friday night in Chicago. Mix entered the fight as the interim titleholder.

"I'm the best in the world," Mix said. "(At) 135, I'm the best in the world."

The 30-year-old got Pettis to the mat early in Round 2. He began to lock in a rear-naked choke and with a few adjustments, forced the tap from Pettis moments later.

It was an easy win for Mix, who showed off his grappling skills in the first round, too. He slammed Pettis to the ground a minute-and-a-half into the title unification bout and controlled him until the round ended. Mix passed into side control and landed knees to Pettis' body.

Mix is unequivocally one of the best bantamweights on the planet after beating Pettis.

He won the Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix in April, finishing Raufeon Stots with a Knockout of the Year candidate to claim the interim title in the tournament final. Mix pulled off the upset against former champion Kyoji Horiguchi and then submitted Magomed Magomedov in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

With the victory over Pettis, Mix improves his winning streak to six. He holds a 9-1 record in Bellator and an 18-1 mark as a professional MMA fighter. Mix's lone loss was a decision defeat against Juan Archuleta in a vacant bantamweight title bout in 2020.

Pettis defeated Archuleta for the 135-pound strap in 2021 and defended it for the first time in a vicious, come-from-behind knockout win over Horiguchi that December.

Pettis was supposed to compete in the Bantamweight Grand Prix but withdrew after tearing his ACL. He returned to action in June and upset current Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire by unanimous decision, preventing "Pitbull" from becoming the first three-division champion in major MMA history.

The 30-year-old Pettis, who trains out of Roufusport in Milwaukee, is a former UFC bantamweight and flyweight contender. He signed with Bellator in 2019.