Magomed Magomedov hopes to right two wrongs in his mixed martial arts career by the end of the year.
It begins Friday with a rematch with reigning bantamweight champion Patrick Mix in the main event of the Bellator Champions Series Paris at the Accor Arena in Paris, France. Magomedov initially faced Mix in the Bantamweight Grand Prix semifinals at Bellator 289, but lost the December 2022 bout via second-round submission.
Mix won the tournament with a first-round KO of Laufeon Stotts and unified the 135-pound belts with a submission of Sergio Pettis in November of this year. At this point in his career, Mix is considered one of the best bantamweights in the world, regardless of promotion.
Magomedov intends to give Mix his due, but he also knows he has a golden opportunity to change that perception.
“Today he is one of the best players in the world,” Magomedov said through an interpreter during a call with the media on Tuesday. “Of course my goal is to win the throne. When credit is given I’m going to give it to him, but my goal is to dethrone him.”
Magomedov, who returned to the win column with a first-round submission of Danny Sabatello last July, is confident he has made significant progress since his first fight with Mix.
“Unlike the first camp, the whole preparatory camp and training camp was completely different. One thing I can guarantee you is that there was a different tiger in the cage, not a tiger that I had previously seen in the ‘Patchy’ mix. That means you can see the tiger. I can promise you this,” he said.
“I think we’ll see a more aggressive Magomed pick up the pace and move forward. We’ve been gearing up for a five-round fight. It’s not really going to be a fight. It’s going to be a brawl.”
As for the mix, Magomedov isn’t convinced the former King of the Cage champion has made much progress in his game, but his continued success is likely helping his mindset.
“After the last fight, he won two more. I’m sure he will become more confident,” Magomedov said. “Mentally, he’s more confident. Stylistically and technically, I think he’s the same. Nothing has changed for him.”
The stakes are higher in a mixed rematch, which suits Magomedov well.
“This is the perfect scenario for me,” he said. “You can kill two rabbits in one blow. You can get your revenge and win the Bellator title.”
In an ideal scenario, Magomedov already has an opponent in mind for his first defense in a mixed fight. Once again, revenge is a major theme for the Russian standout, with his only loss under the Bellator banner coming against Stotts in 2021.
“Well, if everything goes perfectly in this fight, I would like to make my first title defense against Laufeon…” Magomedov said. “Same thing. I have to defend my title, but if that title defense is a revenge match, that would be ideal. For example, I have set a goal of making 2024 the year of revenge. will do.”
