News Patchy Mix in RIZIN

[David Street]

Patchy Mix splits with UFC, signs with RIZIN

One of the UFC's most notable signings of 2025 has departed the promotion seven months later.

mmajunkie.usatoday.com

Couldn't cut it in UFC?

 

[STAY GOLD]

Yeah, he really underperformed in the UFC.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

I ain't mad

 

[David Street]

 

[CC27]

One of the biggest busts in UFC history. Thought he might get one more but he wasnt a top 15 BW and they were probably paying him decent. This aint any better esp at FW, dont know why he isnt going after Sabatello at BW who he might be able to beat. He would get slaughtered by Shaydullaev.

 

[David Street]

If he loses to this 19 year old, forget ever getting a decent stand-up and returning to UFC?

Kyoma Akimoto 11-1​

 

[Bobby Boulders]

If he loses to this 19 year old, forget ever getting a decent stand-up and returning to UFC?

Kyoma Akimoto 11-1​

Not necessarily, but probably. There are enough decent names for him to fight that even if he loses to Akimoto, provided he throws together a decent streak, it's possible. Though if I were him I wouldn't worry about it, even if it happens he'd be like 35 or so.

RIZIN is crazy for making that matchup, though, and I love them for it

 

[JacJeanFinger]

JTT lacks high level grapplers. Akimoto is so confident with his striking that he vows to beat Shaydullaev on feet. With that being not impossible, I'm convinced that he hasn't done the homework since Motoya outworked him on the ground. He needs to understand that Gomi was also an elite wrestler to survive in MMA as a striker.

The winner will probably be slated to face Shaydullaev who otherwise has no choice but moving up.

 

[UFCIsNOTRigged]

JTT lacks high level grapplers. Akimoto is so confident with his striking that he vows to beat Shaydullaev on feet. With that being not impossible, I'm convinced that he hasn't done the homework since Motoya outworked him on the ground. He needs to understand that Gomi was also an elite wrestler to survive in MMA as a striker.

The winner will probably be slated to face Shaydullaev who otherwise has no choice but moving up.

Shaydullaev is explosive but he's not some world class striker if there is anywhere he can be beat it is definitely on the feet so he's not saying much here.

Love this kids confidence but I don't think he'd last a full minute on the ground with Shaydullaev at this point.

 

[HuskySamoan]

JTT lacks high level grapplers. Akimoto is so confident with his striking that he vows to beat Shaydullaev on feet. With that being not impossible, I'm convinced that he hasn't done the homework since Motoya outworked him on the ground. He needs to understand that Gomi was also an elite wrestler to survive in MMA as a striker.

The winner will probably be slated to face Shaydullaev who otherwise has no choice but moving up.

Kyoma is 19, very talented, but 19! He needs to spend a couple years, YEARS, building experience both in the training process and competition wise before he gets into a fight vs simeone at the level of Motoya or Mix, let alone Shaydullaev. Japanese MMA has no sense in its head when it comes to developing fighters.

Kyoma should experience training camps abroad and spend time training in new environments. Do a camp at Killcliff/ATT, spend a summer at Tiger Muay Thai with the Caucasians and Central Asians, build a network at the U21 wrestling team in Japan so he can get seriously more mat time. Etc etc. This should be the process, he should be going rounds with Movsar Evloev or spending a camp down in Australia with Volkanovski, Kasib Murdoch and the Hickman brothers etc.

Shaydullaev is explosive but he's not some world class striker if there is anywhere he can be beat it is definitely on the feet so he's not saying much here.

Love this kids confidence but I don't think he'd last a full minute on the ground with Shaydullaev at this point.

Shaydullaev like everyone can be beaten, but Kyoma isn't even a top 50 FW...hes a 19 year old prospect with really no credible wins. Even standing Shaydullaev would pressure him, clinch and dirty box, corner and bludgeon Kyoma...knock him down and finish him. Its way too soon.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

Kyoma is 19, very talented, but 19! He needs to spend a couple years, YEARS, building experience both in the training process and competition wise before he gets into a fight vs simeone at the level of Motoya or Mix, let alone Shaydullaev. Japanese MMA has no sense in its head when it comes to developing fighters.

Kyoma should experience training camps abroad and spend time training in new environments. Do a camp at Killcliff/ATT, spend a summer at Tiger Muay Thai with the Caucasians and Central Asians, build a network at the U21 wrestling team in Japan so he can get seriously more mat time. Etc etc. This should be the process, he should be going rounds with Movsar Evloev or spending a camp down in Australia with Volkanovski, Kasib Murdoch and the Hickman brothers etc.



Shaydullaev like everyone can be beaten, but Kyoma isn't even a top 50 FW...hes a 19 year old prospect with really no credible wins. Even standing Shaydullaev would pressure him, clinch and dirty box, corner and bludgeon Kyoma...knock him down and finish him. Its way too soon.

Agreed, with pretty much all of it. It isn't really fair at this point for anyone to expect Akimoto to run over anyone, he's not even a real man yet and lacks plenty of tools, and lacks experience (even though, relative to his age, he does have a degree of it). The potential is real, he's done well with the opponents he's been given, but even with Mix having dropped a couple against guys many felt he should have defeated, he should still be the heavy favorite. If he isn't, it's crazy.

I believe that the next generation of Japanese fighters will finally begin to produce once again, there's at least potential for it. The current generation has been the one that trained outside of Japan the most. If any of these fighters become coaches, they already have the blueprints for what works and what doesn't, especially a guy like Horiguchi, who has been coached by one of the very best for a long time. If he decides to coach, himself, someday, I won't doubt at all that his students find loads of success at home, and potentially find success abroad. I also wouldn't doubt that plenty of young Japanese understand that Horiguchi has been the guy in Japan for like 10 years, as far as Japanese fighters go, and can connect the dots that training abroad has a lot to do with that. Time will tell, but, for sure, fighters in Japan need to move on from their compartmentalized training situation and continue adding new perspectives from foreign fighters and coaches until they can prove they can do it all on their own and actually find sustained success.

 

[Trabaho]

I don't agree with cutting him. Imo move to make PFL look bad. Or he was expensive.

 

[HuskySamoan]

Agreed, with pretty much all of it. It isn't really fair at this point for anyone to expect Akimoto to run over anyone, he's not even a real man yet and lacks plenty of tools, and lacks experience (even though, relative to his age, he does have a degree of it). The potential is real, he's done well with the opponents he's been given, but even with Mix having dropped a couple against guys many felt he should have defeated, he should still be the heavy favorite. If he isn't, it's crazy.

I believe that the next generation of Japanese fighters will finally begin to produce once again, there's at least potential for it. The current generation has been the one that trained outside of Japan the most. If any of these fighters become coaches, they already have the blueprints for what works and what doesn't, especially a guy like Horiguchi, who has been coached by one of the very best for a long time. If he decides to coach, himself, someday, I won't doubt at all that his students find loads of success at home, and potentially find success abroad. I also wouldn't doubt that plenty of young Japanese understand that Horiguchi has been the guy in Japan for like 10 years, as far as Japanese fighters go, and can connect the dots that training abroad has a lot to do with that. Time will tell, but, for sure, fighters in Japan need to move on from their compartmentalized training situation and continue adding new perspectives from foreign fighters and coaches until they can prove they can do it all on their own and actually find sustained success.

Akimoto's best win is 9-3 Ryo Tagai, who isnt even a prospect on anyone's radar or particularly talented. Just a regional Japanese fighter. He does from fighting random regional fodder to Motoya...looks lost, goes back to fighting random regional fodder and now Patchy Mix a year later. No build up, no intentionality...just random radical leaps in the level of competition. Really ill advised.

I have no idea what subsequent generations of fighters in Japan will look like, Japan as far as potential is god tier. Theyre a top 3 Judo nation, top 3 kickboxing nation, top 5 boxing nation and top 5 wrestling nation. The karate influence is fairly significant too. But they dont seem to know how to acquire coaches, build meaningful fighter stables, have their athletes cross train or build young fighters careers to properly cultivate talent. We are seeing MONGOLIA do this before Japan in the modern age, Shandas gym is superior to anything we've seen in Japan right now lmao.

 

[Mmmmmmma1234]

Really didn't expect him to get cut after just 2 but I guess he was getting too well paid.

 

[vintagemmafan]

If he loses to this 19 year old, forget ever getting a decent stand-up and returning to UFC?

Kyoma Akimoto 11-1​

Returning to UFC that would be a retard move and it was initially he should have never went in the first place and should have went to Rizin in the first place, so many foreign fighters get burned and ruin their careers they should have faith in something other than UFC I've never seen so much brainwashing for an organization, honestly I will be rooting against Mix and hope Akimoto beats him.