Patchy Mix faced a challenging night in his first octagon appearance at UFC 316, absorbing extensive damage and ultimately losing a unanimous decision to Mario Bautista.
Following the fight, speculation arose regarding whether Mix succumbed to the pressure of the UFC spotlight or the common `octagon jitters` faced by debuting fighters. In a post-fight statement, Mix mentioned taking the fight on short notice after signing with the UFC following his departure from PFL and vowed to return improved.
However, Matt Brown believes the primary reason for Mix`s struggle wasn`t the bright lights, but rather a stark realization that succeeding against the top fighters in promotions like PFL or Bellator doesn`t equate to the competitive standard of the UFC.
“I’ll tell you what, the UFC just has the best fighters in the world,” Brown stated on a recent episode of *The Fighter vs. The Writer*. He argued that the difficulties faced by incoming champions from other organizations clearly demonstrate the significant gap in competition levels within the UFC.
While acknowledging that factors like media attention and the spotlight might play a role, Brown insisted the crucial element is the disparity in talent. He posited that a fighter ranked even 15th in the UFC could likely be a champion in any other promotion, highlighting the immense difference. “It’s just an extreme difference between the UFC and everybody else,” Brown said. “They have control of this sport, of all the best fighters and I think that’s all there is to it. We’ve seen it a million times.”
Mix`s tough debut came shortly after former Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull experienced similar difficulties in his first UFC bout against Yair Rodriguez.
Brown differentiated this from fighters like Aaron Pico, who he expects to fare differently upon his eventual debut because Pico is still nearing his athletic prime. In contrast, Mix and Pitbull were already established champions elsewhere, but both learned that being the best outside the UFC is a completely different challenge when you step inside the octagon.
“The UFC’s just a different f*cking animal,” Brown asserted. “There’s bloodthirsty lions in there that just want to eat your soul. It’s just a different level of competition.”
Brown dismissed claims by promotions like PFL positioning themselves as co-leaders in MMA, particularly when comparing their top-tier talent to the UFC roster.
He views essentially every other fighting organization as minor leagues, with the UFC standing alone as the major league.
“The UFC just has the best fighters, bar none,” Brown declared. “What you do outside the UFC just doesn’t mean jack sh*t anymore, other than to get you to the UFC.”
He drew an analogy to American football: “Like college football — would the National Champion team beat the worst NFL team? It’s the same thing. The UFC is the NFL. When they come to the UFC, it’s just a different f*cking animal. They’re not used to that level of competition.”
Beyond the competitive aspect, Brown believes the most significant adjustments fighters face in the UFC stem from changes *outside* the cage.
He experienced this personally after his appearance on the sixth season of *The Ultimate Fighter* reality show.
“I think what a lot of people don’t recognize or don’t really think about is when you get into the UFC, at least in my situation and I’m sure that others can relate, you suddenly have about 20 more cousins than you had the year before,” Brown explained. “Now you’re looked at differently when you walk into a restaurant. People see who you are. They know who you are.”
Brown feels these external factors—the increased public recognition and different social interactions—are more likely to affect a fighter than things like additional media duties, although media attention can also be overwhelming for those not accustomed to it. He considers these “side issues” more impactful than facing an extra media day.
Interestingly, Brown noted that the *fight itself* didn`t feel substantially different throughout his 15-year UFC career compared to his earlier bouts.
While the pressure certainly escalates in the UFC, Brown stated that once punches start flying, he always settled back into his focused state inside the cage. This is why he isn`t fully convinced that “octagon jitters” were the primary reason for Mix`s performance.
Brown elaborated on the unique challenge for established fighters joining the UFC: “I don’t think everybody is made for that, especially you’ve got to think of the complexities of you’ve already been a fighter for so long like a Patchy Mix… Kind of already a legend in your own right. High level, very good. Now all of a sudden people are looking at you differently. People are talking to you differently. Now people are treating you differently.” He believes these subtle shifts in perception and interaction play a bigger role than simply brighter lights or more media.
He concluded by contrasting the physical fight environment with the surrounding pressures: “Realistically, when you get into the octagon, I fought in gas station parking lots before, I fought in a cage once it was built with like dog kennel fencing… 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.” Brown emphasized, “It’s all that sh*t leading up to it and all the sh*t outside of it that’s 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 made it something different.”
