The UFC 316 main card featured a bantamweight bout between former Bellator champion Patchy Mix and No. 10 ranked Mario Bautista. It was Mix’s octagon debut.
Mix last fought in May 2024, defending his Bellator bantamweight title against Magomed Magomedov. He entered Saturday’s showdown with Bautista riding a seven-fight winning streak. The last time he lost a fight was in September 2020.
Bautista was also riding a seven-fight winning streak and looking to spoil Mix’s debut. He defeated the legendary Jose Aldo in his previous outing at UFC 307 last October.
Bautista opened the fight utilizing leg kicks. He also targeted the body with punches. Mix stayed on the outside and got hit with two right hands. Bautista had a much higher output than Mix. He continued to land to the body. They clinched and Mix delivered a knee to the body. Bautista appeared to be the faster fighter and dictated the pace. Bautista connected with a clean right hand late in the frame. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Bautista.
Mix briefly pressed forward in the early going of the second frame. Bautista went back to delivering body shots. Mix began having some success with his jab. Mix connected with a combination and Bautista answered with a left hand. They traded right hands. Mix barely missed with a head kick. Bautista found a home with his right. He stepped into the pocket with a 1-2 combination. He dug a right hand to the body before landing back-to-back right hands up top. Mix had a much better round but MMAWeekly scored the frame 10-9 for Bautista.
Mix looked for a takedown but was unable to get it early in the final round. Bautista came out aggressive and continued to land right hands. Mix connected with a left and Bautista responded by targeting his body with a right hand. Mix landed a combination midway through the frame. Bautista responded with a hard right hand. Mix began moving forward but was unable to box Bautista in. Mix connected with a left hand followed by a knee. He landed a straight left but it was too little too late. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Bautista.
The judges scored the fight for Bautista by unanimous decision. The scorecards read 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27.
