UFC 316 Preview and Prediction: Patchy Mix – Mario Bautista

Tomorrow night on the main card of UFC 316, we are going to see the highly anticipated octagon debut of a former world champion. Former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix (20-1) finally makes his octagon debut as he takes on tenth ranked bantamweight contender Mario Bautista (15-2).

Starting with Bautista, this is a massive opportunity for him to right the wrong after his last fight. Bautista did get his hand raised last time but it was a decision that lost him more fans than it gained him. He defeated Jose Aldo by basically just holding him against the fence for the majority of the fight doing nothing else. It was his seventh straight win and if he’s able to get an eighth straight win while beating Patchy Mix, it’s going to vault him up the division.

That said, he has his hands full with Patchy Mix. It’s so great to see Mix finally in the UFC. For years, he’s been considered one of if not the best bantamweight in the world and now he gets to show it. Mix’s lone loss in his career came against Juan Archuleta in his first title fight where he gassed out after dominating early. Since that loss, he went 7-0 with five finishes including knocking out Raufeon Stots and submitting Sergio Pettis.

UFC 316 Prediction

While many will jump to the conclusion that Patchy Mix is going to win his UFC debut, it’s not that straightforward. Despite the terrible performance in his last fight, Mario Bautista is not an easy fight. Bautista is going to make everything tough on Mix with his volume and his pressure.

On the feet, I think that Bautista can have a lot of success and he has the ability to scramble should Mix get him on the ground. While Bautista is decent on the ground, these two are worlds apart in terms of their ground skills and I think it’s going to show. I think that after a fun round and a half, a grappling exchange is going to find Mix in a dominant position.

Once there, I think Mix makes a statement in his UFC debut. I think that Mix will find his way to Bautista’s back and once he gets there, he’s going to get the neck and finish this one by submission. Give me Patchy Mix to make a big statement in his octagon debut.

Prediction: Patchy Mix by Submission