Mario Bautista considers Patchy Mix ‘just as quality of a fighter if not better’ than Chito Vera

UFC 307: Aldo v Bautista — Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Mario Bautista didn’t blink when he got the news that Marlon “Chito” Vera was out of their fight at UFC 316, and he was being replaced by promotional newcomer Patchy Mix.

Now most instances that involve short-notice opponent changes end up with a step down in competition simply because the top fighters in the world aren’t readily available to save the day. That wasn’t the case with this matchup because Mix is an incredibly accomplished fighter as the last Bellator bantamweight champion with an impressive 20-1 record, including 15 finishes by knockout or submission.

While Bautista concedes that Vera probably had a bigger name due to his time spent already fighting in the UFC, he actually views Mix as potentially an even greater challenge.

“I thought the replacement was just as quality of a fighter if not better, in my eyes,” Bautista told MMA Fighting. “I haven’t seen that [people don’t really know Patchy Mix]. These fans they need to keep up with MMA for sure.”

“From my point of view, I thought the following and ‘Chito’ and Patchy, that’s a great replacement, but not only that ‘Chito’ on a two-fight losing streak, but he’s also at the top of the division, lost to the champion and lost to [Deiveson Figueiredo]. Then you have Patchy Mix, who I thought is a Bellator champion and he’s on an incredible run. That’s what makes me excited for this fight so I’m happy I’m getting a good quality opponent and it’s going to be a true test.”

Mix won’t enter the UFC with a ranking next to his name but Bautista believes he belongs on the list after watching his past performances from Bellator.

“When it comes to skills and how good you are compared to the rest of the division, yeah, I think he definitely deserves to be in that top 10,” Bautista said about Mix. “I think he’ll do well. I think as quality of opponent and how good he is, he’s definitely up there.”

When it comes to Mix’s skills and accomplishments, there’s no doubt he’s earned this opportunity to debut on the main card of a UFC pay-per-view.

That said, Mix faces a different level of pressure and expectation for this upcoming fight than anything he’s ever faced during his career. Numerous athletes from other promotions have commented on the size and magnitude that comes along with fighting in the UFC and finding a way to shine under that kind of spotlight can be difficult.

There are examples where fighters like Kayla Harrison and Michael Chandler made an immediate impact in the UFC with huge wins but there are plenty of others including recent Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull, who failed to live up to expectations in a debut fight.

Bautista can’t predict how Mix will react to his first fight in the UFC but he plans to find out if the highly touted free agent signing is ready for the big league.

“We’re going to find out that night,” Bautista said. “It could be a possibility because he hasn’t fought in over a year and then you’re getting thrown right in there in the top 10 of the UFC on short notice and there’s a lot you’ve got to deal with in a short amount of time on top of getting ready for one of your biggest fights. So it’s a possibility that we see that, that night.

“Whatever Patchy Mix, whatever version of him comes in if it’s the deer in the headlights guy or he’s on point right away, it’s not going to change what I do. I’m going to do my thing and get that job done.”

For all the attention being paid to Mix ahead of his debut, Bautista hasn’t lost sight on how much a win at UFC 316 means for his own career.

Currently riding a seven-fight win streak in the bantamweight division, Bautista expects that dispatching Mix on Saturday puts him on a very short list of potential title contenders with reigning champion Merab Dvalishvili defending his belt against Sean O’Malley on the same card.

As a frequent training partner and friend to O’Malley over the years, Bautista is pulling for the always colorful former champion to reclaim his title but he also knows if Dvalishvili wins then his path to the championship is probably even clearer.

“I feel like I jump right into that top five and then if Merab wins and then we’ll see if he fights [Cory] Sandhagen and see how that fight goes, too,” Bautista said. “Because I think stylistically, I match up well against Merab.

“I’d be on that short list, I think it would be an eight fight win streak and I know Merab respects an eight fight win streak. I think he had to go on a 10 fight win streak to even get the title shot. It does put me on that short list and we’ll see after this performance with Patchy if the UFC likes it and where that places me among the top [fighters].”

Ideally, Bautista would beat Mix and then immediately shift gears into a title fight but he knows that’s probably not going to happen so he’s already reconciled with the fact that he needs to win at UFC 316 and then probably add one more victory to his resume to become the No. 1 contender.

While he never mentioned him by name, Bautista seemingly referenced past title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov as an example of somebody who was able to skip the line at bantamweight but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to receive the same kind of opportunity.

“With a win over Patchy and I’m expecting to fight someone else again before there’s even title talks or you’re an option for that,” Bautista said. “I probably have two more fights including Patchy.

“It’s unfortunate you’ve got to go on this long win streak and then there’s some guys that have a nice little last name and they get thrown right into the top. It’s just who I am. I’m always going to work hard for what I get and I’m always going to be happy about that at the end of the day.”

Mario Bautista considers Patchy Mix ‘just as quality of a fighter if not better’ than Chito Vera

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