UFC 316 results: Mario Bautista busts up, bloodies Patchy Mix in rude welcome to the octagon
Mario Bautista gave Patchy Mix a rude welcome to the octagon after he dominated the former Bellator champion in lopsided fashion to win a unanimous decision at UFC 316.
From the first second until the last, Bautista showed off superior striking as he blasted Mix with stiff shots across all three rounds. Mix just couldn’t get much of anything going and he barely attempted a takedown as Bautista just kept hammering away at him on the feet until the fight was over.
The judges scored the fight 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 as Bautista wrapped up his eighth consecutive win while handing Mix only the second loss of his career.
Quick to attack on the feet, Bautista was blasting Mix with punches early including a pair of stiff rights that cracked the former Bellator champion. Bautista was also concentrating on the body with several punches and kicks that continued to find a home.
While Mix was finally able to connect with a knee up the middle, Bautista was really starting to punish him with repeated combinations that usually finished with that same stiff right hand. A lack of head movement from Mix was giving Bautista an easy target as he continued to unload punches in succession.
Bautista’s speed and movement were clearly frustrating Mix, who was struggling to keep up with him in the exchanges on the feet. Even when Mix was able to connect with a solid shot of his own, Bautista was connecting with two or three in return.
Mix had moments of success including a slick head kick that connected but Bautista was always ready to counter, which included several hard left hands over the top that hammered the New York native. Through two rounds, Mix also hadn’t attempted a single takedown, which was a strange approach from a world-class grappler.
With five minutes remaining, Bautista was really settling into a rhythm as his continued assault with the left hand opened a cut over Mix’s eye. Bautista was really just picking and choosing his moments as he peppered away at Mix, who just had no answer for him on the feet.
As the fight came to a close, Mix managed to catch Bautista with a good knee up the middle but it was really too little, too late. Bautista stayed loose and aware on his feet to ensure he would walk away the winner after an impressive three-round showcase.
The win undoubtedly puts Bautista that much closer to title contention as he continues to take out top fighters in the bantamweight division. As for Mix, his UFC debut certainly didn’t go the way he hoped and he’ll have to go back to the drawing board before making his second appearance in the promotion.