We have a new matchup here. Mario was supposed to fight Chito Vera, but Chito dropped and instead of slapping a random fight together, the UFC went out and scooped up one of the best free agents in this division.
This is a great and a win / win for the UFC. Either Patchy loses and they get to brag about how champions in other promotions cant hold a candle to them, or Patchy wins and they have some fresh juice in the division. Despite the odds, this feels like a tough fight to pick. Mario is very good and has many high level wins. His last fight felt like a bad decision, but the reality is that he pushed a pace and stayed in there with one of the best to ever do it. Patchy is a very dangerous grappler but thats almost it, he is pretty one dimensional. If Mario is able to defend the takedowns, he should win the striking exchanges with relative ease. I am going to pick Patchy though, if you watch this channel you know that I do a show called Bad Takes with Josh Thomson, former Strikeforce World Champion and the only person to ever Knockout Nate Diaz, him and I did an entire breakdown of who Patchy is and Josh's confidence in Patchy was contagious, so I am following his lead and picking Patchy here
Mario Bautista
Mario Bautista is a high volume, get one to give one style striker. He sets a nice pace and is always plotting forward while being light on his feet. He has been steadily evolving in his last few fights and is now on a 6 fight win streak. While he is primarily a striker, he has worked in 12 takedowns in his last 7 fights. He is coming off the close, but wrong, decision win over Jose Aldo
Patchy Mix
Patchy Mix may be a new name to some of you, but to hardcore MMA fans, know who he is and why he's the favorite here. Patchy is the former Bellator World Champion who not only the tournament but also the belt and defended it twice before asking for his release and now signing with the UFC. Style wise he is a nasty grappler who will not only get the takedowns but also hunt for submissions. He is long and lean and uses that length to wrap things up. In his 20 fight career he has 15 wins with 13 of them being submissions.
