Everyone who watched seemingly had their own opinion of who should win or why, but the two of the three opinions that mattered leaned toward Patchy Mix.
In the Bellator Champions Series: Paris main event at Accor Arena, Mix (20-1) defeated Magomedov Magomedov (20-4) by split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47) to retain his bantamweight title.
The decision was debated by many viewers online, who felt Magomedov’s striking accuracy and damage should’ve earned him the nod. Mix was stunned with a pair of punches in Round 1, and then more heavily with a swarm of them in Round 3.
However, Mix’s volume, pressure, and submission attempts likely wooed the judges. He pulled for multiple guillotines including one that appeared tight at prior to the damage sustained in Round 3.
After the victory, Mix called for a fight against Leandro Higo (23-6), who he said successfully weighed in as a backup fighter during Thursday’s official weigh-ins.
#AndSTILL Patchy Mix retains the Bellator Bantamweight World Championship!#BellatorParis LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 Max
🌎 https://t.co/IDJcMOodNs pic.twitter.com/EKYTbPrgeE— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 17, 2024
It was a big week for Mix, who proposed to girlfriend and UFC women’s flyweight contender Tatiana Suarez at the Eiffel Tower on Thursday. Less than 24 hours later, he notched his first title defense and seventh-straight victory.
With the defeat, Magomedov loses his first Bellator title shot and moves to 0-2 against Mix. Magomedov was submitted in the first outing in December 2022. Magomedov has only lost to Mix, Raufeon Stots, and Petr Yan through 24 professional fights.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator Champions Series: Paris results include:
- Patchy Mix def. Magomed Magomedov via split decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
- Cedric Doumbe def. Jaleel Willis via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:33
- Costello van Steenis def. Gregory Babeno via submission (Von Flue choke) – Round 2, 2:16
- Yves Landu def. Jonas Bilharinho via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Archie Colgan def. Thibault Gouti via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
- Slim Trablesi def. Louis Sutherland via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Mansour Barnaoui def. Yusuke Yachi via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:08
- Mike Shipman def. Steven Hill via TKO (retirement) – Round 1, 5:00
- Aspen Ladd def. Katerina Shakalova via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Asael Adjoudj def. Bruno Fontes by knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:11
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Paris.
