Merab Dvalishvili and Patchy Mix declare they are both open to a matchup. Merab Dvalishvili and Patchy Mix, who are training partners, have openly declared that they are willing to fight.
UFC bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili and newcomer Patchy Mix aren’t letting friendship get in the way of competition.
In the Octagon, Merab Dvalishvili, the recently crowned bantamweight king, has been amazing. Now, he’s up against new opponents—one of whom may be Patchy Mix, his training partner. This weekend, he will defend his UFC bantamweight championship against Sean O’Malley. On the same UFC 316 card, former Bellator star Patchy Mix will also make his UFC debut by facing Mario Bautista.
The possibility of them colliding in the future has already been discussed. Naturally, a lot of things need to come together for that to occur. One concern was that Dvalishvili and Mix wouldn’t want to meet in the center of the Octagon since they are training partners.
According to the men themselves, if the circumstances are right, they are both open to a matchup.
Dvalishvili: “We are friends. We are training together. It’s not the same as it was between me and Aljo (Sterling). If the time comes, we will fight each other. It’s nothing personal. He’s fighting for his family; I’m fighting for my family and my team. That’s all good. I wish him good luck in his fight, and hopefully I’m going to win this fight against Sean O’Malley—and we’ll see from there,” Merab told MMA Fighting.
Mix: “So I wanted to tell him, as a man, ‘I might come over. I want to let you know so that maybe we can distance training. If it’s for the belt, you know, I’d love to,’ because I’m a world champion coming over, and I’m one of the most highly credentialed world champions to ever come over.
“I know I’m not that far—maybe a win or two—from the belt. I wanted to let him know to give him a heads-up, not like one day he wakes up and he’s shocked by that. He had an awesome reaction—super respectful. I have a family; he has a family. He respects that this is my goal: to be the best in the world.”
It’s refreshing—and kind of inspiring to hear two top-tier athletes approach a potential matchup with this level of maturity. There’s no trash talk. No drama. Just two elite fighters who understand that, at the highest level, sometimes friends have to become opponents.
It won’t be shocking if the UFC arranges a high-stakes matchup in the future between these two athletes who have gained each other’s respect and aren’t afraid to put their skills to the test in the cage.
If it does happen, it won’t be a grudge match. It will be two fighters risking everything because they love the game—not because they despise one another. And that will make it even more amazing.
