Leandro Higo: Bellator promised shot at bantamweight champion Patchy Mix

Leandro Higo was promised the next shot at Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix in the aftermath of Bellator Paris on May 17, he told MMA Fighting on Thursday.

Higo flew to Paris to be the backup fighter for Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov and was cageside watching the five-round contest at Accor Arena. Mix voiced interest in facing Higo during his in-cage post-fight interview, and the Brazilian said executive Mike Kogan told him backstage that he was next in line.

“[Mix] called me out and Mike Kogan said I was the next challenger,” Higo said. “We don’t have a contract yet but he said that, and I hope it happens. It definitely will happen. When Mike Kogan says something, it happens. His word is enough.”

Higo tapped Nikita Mikhailov with a guillotine choke in 2023 and recently moved up to 145 pounds to face James Gallagher in Ireland, winning a unanimous decision in enemy territory. Should Higo once again challenge for the Bellator title, it will be more than six years since his first chance, when he lost to Darrion Caldwell.

Higo said he offered to be the backup for the Bellator Paris main event because he thought Magomedov might pull out last-minute after doing a training camp during Ramadan. He hoped Mix would come out victorious to avoid a trilogy bout between the headliners, or an eventual Magomedov vs. Raufeon Stots rematch.

“It was a close fight to score,” Higo said of the Bellator Paris main event. “Patchy Mix won the first two, and the fifth was back and forth, and I think he ended up winning because [holding] the belt carries a weight. I think it was close. I’m not gonna lie, I was rooting for Patchy Mix to win. I will never root for Russians. [Laughs.]”

The bantamweight veteran said he has yet to be informed of a possible date for the championship collision, but eyes one of the shows in September or October. Bellator hosts a Sept. 7 card in San Diego and a London show the following week, before returning to Chicago on Oct. 12.

“I hope it’s in London,” Higo said. “I wanted neutral territory. There’s also a card in San Diego, and that would be enemy territory. But this opportunity will come at the best moment of my career. I’m in my prime. I already see myself as champion. The belt will come this time.”

Mix holds a Bellator record of 9-1 and has beaten his last seven opponents, including finishes of Magomedov, Stots, and Sergio Pettis, plus a decision over Kyoji Horiguchi.

“Patchy Mix is, to me, the greatest bantamweight in Bellator history for what he’s done and who he’s beat,” Higo said. “He’s fought the best fighters in Bellator and beat them convincingly. And it will be great to fight and dethrone him in his prime.”