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Leandro Higo has been promised the next shot at Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix, following the aftermath of Bellator Paris on May 17. Higo revealed this exciting development to MMA Fighting on Thursday.
Higo, who flew to Paris as the backup fighter for the Mix vs. Magomed Magomedov bout, watched the five-round contest from cageside at the Accor Arena. During his in-cage post-fight interview, Mix expressed his interest in facing Higo. Backstage, Bellator executive Mike Kogan confirmed Higo was next in line for a title shot.
“[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's recent performances have been impressive. He submitted Nikita Mikhailov with a guillotine choke in 2023 and moved up to 145 pounds to face James Gallagher in Ireland, where he won a unanimous decision in enemy territory. If Higo challenges for the Bellator title again, it will be more than six years since his first opportunity, which ended in a loss to Darrion Caldwell.
Higo offered to be the backup for the Bellator Paris main event, anticipating that Magomedov might withdraw last minute due to his training camp during Ramadan. He was rooting for Mix to avoid a trilogy bout between Mix and Magomedov or a potential 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.]”
While a date for the championship clash has yet to be confirmed, Higo is eyeing one of the shows in September or October. Bellator has a September 7 card in San Diego, a London show the following week and a return to Chicago on October 12.
Patchy Mix boasts a Bellator record of 9-1 and has defeated his last seven opponents, including notable finishes of Magomedov, Stots, and Sergio Pettis, along with a decision victory 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.”