Ex-champ Patchy Mix stopped in RIZIN debut for third straight loss

After back-to-back UFC losses at bantamweight, Patchy Mix left the promotion and the division.

But the move to featherweight and RIZIN were not the cure for what ails him. Mix (20-4) on Saturday was stopped for the first time in his career when Kyoma Akimoto (12-1) – just 19 – finished him with a TKO in the second round in the RIZIN 52 headliner.

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The stoppage came 37 seconds into the second frame, not long after Akimoto put Mix on the canvas toward the end of the first round and appeared to nearly have him finished.

Mix was considered one of the best non-UFC fighters when he was Bellator’s bantamweight champion. After the PFL bought Bellator, Mix was stuck waiting for a fight. He asked to be released, and the UFC quickly brought him on board.

The UFC even set him up to make a quick ascension to title contention with a matchup against the much-heralded Mario Bautista this past June for his promotional debut, but he dropped a decision. Then he lost a split decision to former KSW champion Jakub Wiklacz in October in his follow-up.

Akimoto has won five straight fights, including four by stoppage. Although he was a heavy underdog to Mix, a 4-1 betting favorite, he now has easily the biggest win of his young career.

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Check out highlights of Akimoto’s finish of Mix below.