I was at LA Fitness the other day trying to get swole, and there was a conversation about a Lake Shore wrestler that won a fight in Bellator in like 30 seconds. I didn’t name drop that I knew Pat Mix, but It made me happy that finally someone from our area has made it big in our sport. I am not discounting Rashad Evens who is from the area as well (In fact both Pat and Rashad wrestled at NCCC) but Pat cut his teeth from the amateur ranks to Bellator, fighting and training right here in Western New York.
Pat was a stand-out wrestler at Lake Shore High School. He was the first wrestler in 40 years to make the State tournament and it led to a friendship that has remained solid to this day. Dennis Brown was training to fight professional mixed martial arts at the Knockout Factory in Gowanda and needed a solid wrestler to push him in practice. He brought in Pat and the rest is history. Pat trained with Dennis under the late Mike Tome and Art Vulgamore. There is a video of Pat and Dennis training all those years ago you can see the talent of both men even so young in Pat’s career.
Mike Tome passed and Dennis ended up coming to Western New York MMA and Fitness. WNYMMA is the home for mma in the greater Buffalo area. I trained there and was happy when Dennis joined. Dennis was a bit smaller, but we worked well together and did a fight camp together. At the time I didn’t know Pat, but I was exposed to Dennis Brown the person. One of the most solid people I have met that fought mma, so naturally when one of his guys (Pat) started fighting for our team I was following him close and helping whenever I could.
Pat made a big splash quick in the room. He was a quiet hard-working kid. While his grappling was nothing like the world class level it is today, he was a handful for anyone the day he walked into the gym. His stand up was a work in progress, but he made up for the lack of skill with a tenacity and pace very few could match. It didn’t take long for his stand up become dangerous.
I remember making fun of his shorts in his second fight and the first one that I called. I am pretty sure that is the last time that there was anything humorous about Pat in the cage. He was different there was no fun on fight night he was there to hurt people and win. He doesn’t hug teammates he doesn’t smile; he goes into a dark place before the fight. He quickly got the moniker No Love for his attitude on fight night.
Winning is all he has done in his career. He racked up 11 straight wins as an amateur fighting out of his weight class against the toughest competitors in the area. He qualified for the fighter source tournament and won his weight class against the toughest amateur fighters in the country. The promotion was supposed to take him to Brazil to fight internationally and lead into a pro contract. The promotion was unable to come through with their promises and it was time for Pat to take his unbeaten record to the professional ranks.
By this time, I was training with Pat regularly and couldn’t wait to see the damage he was going to do in the professional ranks. I went down with the team to watch Pat fight Tobiaus Taylor in Pennsavana for his pro debut. Pat won that fight after a tough battle. I was happy he gritted out a win, He was up in weight and it was the last fight I saw him fight where he looked like a human being could beat him. That being said he won every round on every card. Pat looking human is like a normal fighter’s great night.
After the Taylor fight Pat signed with King of The Cage and started his run for his first world title. He ran up three straight wins. During that time Pat was able to get some training in with some guys that were on the next level in the next couple camps. He got some rolls with the prominate guys that are in big shows (I am not going to spill what happens in the training room ever) and came out knowing that he belonged on the very top of the sport.
Between his success in KOTC and on the mats with proven talents, Pat was on the rise and knew it. Going out of town and away from your family is a huge commitment to the sport when your fight purses can’t pay your bills. Pat went all in and for his training camp for Jessie Bazzi, his first time going down to fly weight he decided he was going to go to the world-famous Jackson Wink academy. His camp down there was eye opening and he quickly learned he belonged in that environment.
He came back from Jackson Wink a more complete fighter and went on to dominate that fight. With that win came his shot at his first world title in his young career. Pat did most of the camp at Jackson Wink, but I went through the start and the last couple weeks with him. Getting to train every day with him during that camp, was an experience worth its own article but anyone that brushes him off as a natural talent should go through a camp with him and see exactly how much hard work, he puts he puts into a camp and what the pace he puts on you feels like.
When Pat came back from Jackson Wink, he was much better then when he left. He was stronger in shape and so much more technical. The improvement showed as he subbed UFC rising star Andre Ewell in the first round to win the King Of The Cage Bantamweight title and put his name out as a serious prospect. Pat knew he was going to be a star, we knew he was going to be a star, the team at Jackson Wink knew he was going to be a star. Now it was time for the world to know it.
Next Pat finished Tony Gravely in under two minutes. At the time he had garnered more national attention then Pat. I have learned a few things about Pat. One of them is he is obsessed with being the best fighter in his weight. He is an mma savant. He knows anyone of any note regionally or nationally. If you are someone in his way to the top, he is going to know how you fight and what he is going to do to beat you. (Gravely recently just dominated on Dana Whites contender series with a third round tko finish and will also likely be a star in the UFC soon.)
Mix had shown to the world that he belonged in one of the premier organizations, but he was still contractually obligated to King Of The Cage. In maybe the toughest part of his career Pat locked down one of the best managers in the business Ali Abdelaziz. Pat Mix is a huge ticket draw and KOTC wanted to get paid for being the first to discover Mix. Pat ended up being stripped of his title. To add insult to injury they had the fight for the title (taken from Mix), in his hometown on a card he was on. (Gravely won the strap) None of that mattered to Mix who was chasing the big shows titles.
Pat was a great addition to Ali stable going 3-0 with 3 finishes to end his KOTC contract. Now all that was left was to see what show Pat ended up in Bellator or UFC. It didn’t take long Pat Mix was finally fighting under the big lights in the mecca of combat sports Madison Square Garden under the Bellator flag.
Bellator didn’t take it easy on him matching him with the ultra-dangerous Ricky Bandejas. That was fine with Mix who wants to be champion. Under the biggest pressure in his life he came out and gave his best performance to date choking out Bandejas in 1:06. The bigger the stage and challenge the better Mix is, that is a formula for a lot more championship belts in his future.
That is Pat’s professional resume. What isn’t in there are his intangibles. Pat can focus no matter what he has going on in life. Right before the semi finals of the fighter source tournament (Mix won at the end of his amateur career) his girlfriend lost their baby at the 8 ½ month mark. They were crushed but Pat went out and performed at his best. I cried after that fight the fighter source was supposed to launch him in the big leagues, and I knew how important that fight was to him and his family. There has always been something special about him. Watching him focus through that reinforced my belief that he was going to do big things.
His grit is something else that can’t be matched. I am a black belt in Jiu jitsu and there are times rolling with Pat I feel lost. He is incredibly talented, but a lot of high-level fighters are. I have never seen anyone as talented as him work as hard as he does. Most grinding style fighters are making up for a lack of talent with a pressure style. Mix could be one of the best in the world and yet he still works like a typical Western New York native. If you haven’t been here before it means he packs a lunch and dinner and works overtime every day. Cardio freaks like Diego Sanchez don’t sponsor you if you aren’t grinding. To find a guy as good as he is grappling that is also relentless and working smart is a deadly combination.
He is loyal to his friends. Pat started his career with Dennis and Art in his corner and he has been with them his whole run. He does his camps at Jackson Wink but when he comes home, he spends his time with Art and Dennis. I got a good laugh seeing Art trying to text on his 1991 flip phone backstage at Bellator. All kidding aside when he hit it big, he kept the guys that started with him around him. I have seen guys dump the people that helped them after a few amateur wins. It says a lot about him that he keeps the guys that help him get there with him. When he comes back to town he helps his old teammates.
He gives back to the sport that made. Pat has spent a lot of time working with the high school kids at Sweet Home. He has been the Junior Varsity coach there for a while now. He is giving back to the sport that made him and doing it for the love of the sport. The few dollars he made coaching doesn’t compare to the time and effort he puts into those kids. I remember sitting around refueling after weigh-ins before the biggest fight of our careers and the entire conversation was how one of his athletes was given a penalty for slamming that was incorrect.
Pat has an it factor as well. You can call him charismatic but that doesn’t really describe what he has. When people are exposed to him, they just want to watch him. People want him to win and succeed. I have watched him grow from an amateur to a high-level pro. Watched him deal with people stealing his ticket sales, the loss of his child, be in the lowest points in his life and he always kept his eyes on the goal. People are drawn to those who persevere when the world collapse around them. Pat has worked hard for everything he has gotten he carries that chip on his shoulder like the Diaz brothers and Masvidal.
If you don’t know the name Pat Mix get ready to learn it. He is on the big stage now and he is going to have a lot of gold strapped around his waist during his career. He has had a remarkable run so far, but it is only going to get bigger and better. Know his name before the world is talking about him. He is a quiet guy, but he really does have something special, its hard not to love Pat “No Love” Mix.
