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Islam Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently took the opportunity to welcome another one of his clients, Patchy Mix, to the UFC. The former Bellator bantamweight champion will join the UFC's 135-pound ranks, and Abdelaziz was more than thankful for the move.
It comes after Mix's stellar run in Bellator, where he was largely undefeated. He fought just once following the PFL's acquisition of Bellator, defending his bantamweight title in a split-decision win over Magomed Magomedov, before he and the PFL parted ways.
This drew Abdelaziz's gratitude, who penned a tweet thanking PFL founder Donn Davis.
"Congratulation @TeamMixMMA thank you @PFLMMA amazing memory career. We are very grateful. @DonnDavisPFL"
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Check out Ali Abdelaziz's tweet below:
At just 31 years old, Mix, 20-1, remains at the peak of his physical powers for MMA. He will undoubtedly pursue a bantamweight title fight in the UFC, but must first overcome Mario Bautista, whom he faces in his promotional debut at UFC 316, where the bantamweight title will also be contested in the main event.
Mix will keep a very close eye on the headline bout, which features Merab Dvalishvili defending the 135-pound strap against former champion Sean O'Malley in a rematch. However, there is also another bantamweight fighter signed with Dominance MMA and Abdelaziz.
Umar Nurmagomedov will be eager to fight for the title again, at some point, too. But Abdelaziz has experience with such situations, where two of his clients compete in the same division and both are determined to fight for the title. This was the case for him at lightweight.
Islam Makhachev moving up to welterweight
Ali Abdelaziz has much to celebrate. Not only has he secured Patchy Mix a spot in the UFC, but he has also earned Islam Makhachev a welterweight title fight with Jack Della Maddalena. There's no official date, especially given that the Australian has only just captured the belt in a war with Belal Muhammad at UFC 315.
However, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that Makhachev would be next in line for the welterweight strap. Even top 170-pounders who believe themselves to be deserving of a title shot, like Ian Machado Garry, willingly took a backseat to the Dagestani wrestler.
