Ever since Patchy Mix first arrived in Bellator, he’s dreamed of changing into the corporate’s undisputed bantamweight champion. On Friday night time, he’ll get his second alternative to seize that title, nevertheless it may also be the final probability he’ll ever need to compete for the promotion as rumors proceed to swirl about Bellator’s looming demise.
With Showtime asserting plans to get out of the fight sports activities enterprise on the finish of 2023 and guardian firm Paramount talking to potential consumers a few sale, Bellator seems to be teetering getting ready to extinction. That’s a tough capsule to swallow for most of the athletes who constructed their careers in Bellator, which incorporates Combine after he signed with the promotion in 2019 as a 10-0 prospect.
“I really like Bellator,” Combine instructed MMA Combating. “Coming from not having a lot, a child from Buffalo, N.Y., and attending to signal with one of many greatest promotions and combating in Madison Sq. Backyard for my debut, that was wonderful.
“I’ve traveled the f****** world. Eire, Japan. I fought near residence a few instances in Connecticut, being from New York. I went to Hawaii twice. I received 1,000,000 {dollars} in Hawaii. So you already know I’m not complaining in regards to the promotion.”
That being mentioned, Combine faces a possible actuality the place he beats Sergio Pettis at Bellator 301 to change into champion however then instantly has a belt that doesn’t even exist anymore.
Something is feasible, together with a purchaser buying Bellator after which conserving the group intact in the meanwhile, which clearly impacts Combine and each different fighter on the roster.
It’s distraction that Combine doesn’t need to even ponder proper now, particularly together with his showdown towards Pettis looming simply days away.
“Proper now, I’m going to be it, November 17,” Combine mentioned, “I win this undisputed world title, I’m 19-1 with 15 finishes. It’s a report that no bantamweight has. I’m simply attempting so as to add to my credentials and create my legacy. That is going to be an enormous a part of it.
“The best struggle of my life, the toughest struggle of my life, I’m ready for a struggle and I’m prepared for 25 minutes of something. That’s what I’m interested by.”
Main gross sales like these have solely occurred a handful of instances in MMA historical past — normally involving the UFC shopping for a rival promotion — however there plenty of unknowns that encompass Bellator’s future and the fighters beneath contract there.
Possibly meaning simply shifting to a different group, or maybe it’s simply competing for a distinct proprietor beneath the identical Bellator banner.
Combine can’t say for sure what the long run holds, however he expects to make himself a highly regarded commodity with one other spectacular win towards an opponent like Pettis on Friday.
“Irrespective of the place I am going, I’m going to receives a commission,” Combine mentioned. “I’ve obtained one of the best supervisor within the sport Ali [Abdelaziz] and one of the best workforce, Dominance MMA. Irrespective of the place I am going, with my stats, my credentials — who’s to say the place I’ll [end up] if [Bellator] will get bought or who it will get bought to. I don’t even understand how any of these things works.
“All I do know is I’ve obtained a contract on that date. I assume it’s thrilling for everybody else to look in from the surface and give it some thought, however what’s extra thrilling than me versus Sergio Pettis? I believe that is one of the best model of Sergio Pettis proper now. I’d say prime 5, prime three [in the world], and I get the chance to check myself and show to the world, and to show to myself extra importantly, what I do know — that I’m one of the best.”
