Credit: RIZIN/Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Former Bellator bantamweight king Patchy Mix’s recent struggles continued before he returned to the cage at RIZIN 54.

At one point in his career, former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix was thought to be arguably one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in Mixed Martial Arts. During his Bellator prime, Mix was hypothetically paired up for fights with Sean O’Malley, Merab Dvalishvili, and some of the best bantamweights in the world.

After winning 20 of his first 21 fights, including multiple Bellator bantamweight title defenses, Mix signed with the UFC last year in one of the highest-profile signings of 2025. Despite the hype surrounding his addition to the roster, Mix’s UFC tenure was a disaster, ending in an 0-2 stint with losses to Jakub Wiklacz and Mario Bautista.

Mix parted ways with the UFC earlier this year and signed with RIZIN, losing his promotional debut to Kyoma Akimoto in March. The former Bellator champ was looking to snap a three-fight skid against Shoko Sato at RIZIN 54 on Tuesday.

But Mix suffered a big setback in the hours ahead of RIZIN 54, missing weight by 6.2 pounds at Monday’s official weigh-in. The botched weight cut marked the first time in Mix’s career that he had failed to make the contracted weight for a fight.

Patchy Mix issues statement on shockingly botched weight cut ahead of RIZIN 54

In a recent tweet, Mix addressed his shocking weight miss ahead of RIZIN 54.

Patchy Mix came in 6.2 lbs overweight for his second fight in RIZIN, where he fights in the co-main event tonight.

Mix will suffer a TWO-POINT deduction at the beginning of the fight, and if he wins or draws, the result will be recognised as a no-contest.#RIZIN54 pic.twitter.com/F12UErobIn

— Verdict (@VerdictMMA) August 10, 2026

“Very sorry to my opponent the boss and Rizin fans,” Mix began.

“As I got sick towards the end of my weight cut for my category. I am grateful that he still accepted the bout under these circumstances. Much respect but now I have to focus on putting on the best match for the Japanese fans tonight.”

Mix’s last win in the cage came by split decision against Magomed Magomedov in his Bellator finale in May 2024, a fight that was later overturned due to a failed drug test.

Are you surprised by Patchy Mix’s recent struggles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM