Former Bellator bantamweight champion and million dollar grand prix winner Patchy Mix, having petitioned for and received his release by the PFL earlier this year, arrives in the UFC this Saturday, taking on Mario Bautista in a short-notice 135lb fight. The bout appears on the UFC 316 main card, and Mix has been talked up on UFC broadcasts of late, with the UFC clearly seeing the potential in the 20-1 fighter.
Patchy “No Love” Mix
Standing at five-foot-eleven
Fighting at 135 lbs (bantamweight)
31-years-old
Fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Training out of Xtreme Couture MMA/10th Planet Las Vegas
A pro record of 20-1
2 KO/TKOs, 13 Submissions
Distance striking: B
Clinch work: A
Movement/footwork: B-
Power striking: C-
Striking defense: C+
Wrestling in space: C+
Cage wrestling: A
Takedown defense: B+
Defensive grappling: A
Top control: A+
Ground and pound: A-
Submissions: A+
Endurance: A
Patchy Mix enters the UFC in the prime of his career, already regarded as one of the top bantamweights in the world. While there’s often skepticism around hyped newcomers, Mix’s résumé speaks for itself with legitimate wins over elite competition including Magomed Magomedov (twice), Sergio Pettis, Raufeon Stots, and Kyoji Horiguchi. Some of those fights were competitive, but more often than not, Mix has either dominated or finished his opponents.
He’s a massive bantamweight, and that size advantage has been a key weapon, especially on the ground. However, he also uses his length effectively on the feet. Mix controls range well with a long jab, and he’s active with his legs, using teeps to the body and chopping low kicks to keep opponents at bay. He excels at winning the foot positioning and hand-fighting battles, allowing him to pressure and force mistakes.
One of Mix’s trademarks is how well he capitalizes on those mistakes. He’s a master at crowding opponents and baiting them into desperate shots then snatching up the neck with lethal precision. Mix is the last guy you want grabbing your neck: he has elite submission instincts, a crushing squeeze, strong grip transitions, and he uses his length as leverage.
He’s also one of the best back-takers in the sport. Whether it’s from a scramble or a clinch exchange, Mix is excellent at closing the distance, circling to the back, and locking in the backpack position. Even if a takedown in open space doesn’t land clean, he adapts— driving to the fence, reshooting, and adjusting until he finds the position he wants.
If you end up in close quarters with him, you’re in danger. Mix is one of the most dangerous submission grapplers in the game.
That said, the clearest path to beating Mix is by keeping the fight standing and maintaining distance. While he’s no slouch on the feet, he’s been hittable at times, particularly vulnerable to the right hook— though he’s shown a strong chin and composure under fire.
Bantamweight is one of the UFC’s deepest divisions, but Mix has all the tools to break into the top five. He’s a serious threat to anyone at 135.
How does he match up against Bautista?
I think Bautista gets a lot of unwarranted criticism, but interestingly, many are picking him to pull off the upset here. Personally, I don’t see him being able to keep Mix at range or land the more effective strikes over three rounds.
What I expect is Mix to control the center of the octagon, close the distance, and eventually take the back, leading to a finish via rear-naked choke. Even though this is Mix’s UFC debut, I believe he’s simply operating on a different level than Bautista.
