Patchy Mix encountered significant difficulty in his octagon debut at UFC 316. He absorbed a high volume of strikes (173) and sustained cuts and bleeding against Mario Bautista, ultimately losing by unanimous decision.
Immediately following the fight, questions arose regarding whether Mix succumbed to the intense pressure and `octagon jitters` often associated with a UFC debut. In his post-fight comments, Mix mentioned accepting the bout on short notice after signing with the UFC as a free agent following his release from PFL, promising to improve upon his performance.
However, Matt Brown suggests that the spotlight wasn`t the primary issue. Instead, he believes Mix simply realized that his success against top competitors in promotions like PFL or Bellator doesn`t translate directly to the caliber of fighters he will face in the UFC.
“The UFC simply has the best fighters in the world,” Brown asserted during the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I think when we discuss these fights where champions from other promotions, guys everyone considers elite, come over, it just highlights the enormous gap in competition level within the UFC.”
Brown continued, “Perhaps the lights, the media, and other factors play a role, but primarily, it demonstrates the disparity. A fighter ranked #15 in the UFC could easily be a champion in any other organization they might join. There`s an extreme difference between the UFC and everyone else. They control the sport`s top talent, and that`s the reality. We`ve witnessed this repeatedly.”
Mix`s struggles in his first UFC fight occurred just weeks after former Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull faced strikingly similar difficulties in his initial fight against Yair Rodriguez.
Brown feels the transition is different for emerging fighters joining the UFC roster, like what he anticipates seeing from Aaron Pico when he eventually makes his debut, as Pico is still developing towards his peak potential.
Conversely, Mix and Pitbull were established champions elsewhere, but both discovered that achieving the highest level outside the UFC is distinct from performing at the highest level within it.
Brown put it bluntly: “The UFC is just a different f*cking animal. It`s inhabited by bloodthirsty lions that want to eat your soul. The level of competition is just fundamentally different.”
While promotions such as the PFL position themselves as `co-leaders` in the sport, Brown remains unconvinced when comparing their elite talent pool to that of the UFC.
In many respects, Brown views all other fight organizations as effectively the minor leagues, with the UFC serving as the major leagues.
“The UFC possesses the best fighters, bar none,” Brown stated emphatically. “What you accomplish outside the UFC essentially means nothing anymore, except as a means to gain entry into the UFC. It`s comparable to college football – would the National Champion college team defeat the worst NFL team? It`s the same principle. The UFC is the NFL. When fighters arrive in the UFC, it`s simply a different f*cking animal. They are not accustomed to that intensity of competition.”
Beyond the discussions of nerves or fading under a brighter spotlight during the actual fighting, Brown believes the most significant adjustments fighters face come from factors outside the cage.
He experienced this personally during his own career after joining the UFC roster following an appearance on the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
“I think what many people fail to recognize or consider is that upon entering the UFC, at least in my situation and likely relatable to others, you suddenly find you have about 20 more cousins than you did the year before,” Brown remarked. “You`re perceived differently when you go into a restaurant. People recognize who you are. They know who you are.”
Brown added, “These are the kinds of things that can either overwhelm you, or you can handle them with composure and appropriately. I believe these types of external issues are a more significant factor than, for instance, participating in an extra media day. Although media responsibilities can also get to you – you think, `Wow, everyone actually wants to f*cking talk to me!` Again, for fighters not accustomed to that level of attention, it can easily affect their mental state.”
Regarding the fighting itself, Brown personally felt little difference between the early part of his career and his 15 years competing inside the UFC octagon.
He acknowledges that pressure might escalate in those situations, but Brown states that once the punches began flying, he consistently settled back into his familiar state inside the cage. This perspective leads him to not entirely accept `octagon jitters` as the primary explanation for Mix`s performance on Saturday night.
“Not everyone is cut out for that,” Brown explained further. “Especially when you consider the complexities for someone who has been a fighter for a considerable time, like Patchy Mix. You`ve already achieved a degree of legendary status in your own right – high level, very skilled. Then, abruptly, people view you differently, speak to you differently, treat you differently. I believe these subtle shifts play a much larger role than having an additional media day or slightly brighter lights.”
Brown concluded by emphasizing the unchanging nature of the fight itself: “Realistically, once you step into the octagon, I`ve fought in gas station parking lots before. I fought in a cage once made with dog kennel fencing, it had a bar across the middle, and that show was in a rec center in the f*cking middle of nowhere, and I fought for a four-wheeler. That was my prize if I won. It`s still the f*cking same. When you fight in the UFC and the lights come on, it`s still the same. It`s all the sh*t leading up to it and all the sh*t outside of it that makes it different. The UFC, I swear to God, when the bell rings and the referee says go, it`s the same f*cking thing, but you`ve somehow made it something different.”
