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While the news flew under the radar slightly this weekend, former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix is now in the UFC. To say this is a big signing would be an understatement.
With an outstanding record of 20-1, Patchy Mix is one of the world's best 135-pounders - so which fighters could face him once he enters the UFC?
We know that Mario Bautista will be his first foe, but after that, bigger names may well lie in wait for 'No Love'.
With that in mind, here are the five best opponents for Patchy Mix in the UFC.
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#5. Patchy Mix vs. Marlon Vera
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Patchy Mix is all set to make his octagon debut at UFC 316 in just over three weeks' time, facing the No.10-ranked bantamweight Mario Bautista.
The reason for the late notice fight is the fact that 'No Love' will be replacing Marlon Vera, who was initially set to fight Bautista before suffering an undisclosed injury.
If the former Bellator champ can get past Bautista, then a good fight for him after that could be against 'Chito'.
The native of Ecuador is still ranked No.7 in the division, despite losing his last two bouts.
However, while Patchy Mix may set his sights higher if he can dispatch Bautista, the fact is that Vera is a very dangerous and talented fighter with few weaknesses.
More to the point, his wild, aggressive style may bring out the best from the former Bellator champion, as Vera would almost be certain to engage him in any area, even on the ground, where Mix is strongest.
If Mix scores a quick and impressive win over Bautista, then he might find himself above a fight with a tough gatekeeper like Vera. If he finds things harder, though, this could be a great litmus test for him.
#4. Patchy Mix vs. Petr Yan
While he doesn't possess the same kind of fear factor that he did when he first claimed the bantamweight title back in 2020, Petr Yan is still undoubtedly one of the best 135-pounders in the world.
'No Mercy' most recently outpointed former flyweight kingpin Deiveson Figueiredo, and is now on his first winning streak since before his brief title reign.
The Figueiredo fight suggested that he's finally back to his best, and at his best, Yan is a very dangerous man. Few fighters in the UFC are capable of chaining striking combinations together like the Russian, and if he can put an opponent on their back foot, he's hard to stop.
However, Patchy Mix clearly believes that he can defeat the best bantamweights that the UFC have to offer, and in Yan, he may see a beatable opponent.
That's because in his bouts with Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, Yan had trouble on the ground, and Mix is a masterful grappler who is arguably a better finisher than his two sometime training partners.
If 'No Love' could find a way to get Yan to the ground and become the first man to submit him, it'd be a huge feather in his cap, making this one a great potential fight for him.
#3. Patchy Mix vs. Cory Sandhagen
It's arguable that the dark horse of the UFC's bantamweight division is Cory Sandhagen. 'The Sandman' boasts a great octagon record of 11-4, and most recently impressed in a win over Deiveson Figueiredo.
Ranked No.4 right now, Sandhagen would have to be considered one of the best potential opponents for Patchy Mix as he enters the 135-pound mix.
Sandhagen might not have the biggest name in the division, but he's definitely got all of the skills to consider himself a genuine title contender. His only losses, in fact, have come to three former champions and a former title challenger.
Based on this, if Patchy Mix could overcome Sandhagen, he'd absolutely be able to put himself in the title mix at 135 pounds.
More to the point, though, a fight between these two would be fantastic. Both men are tall for 135 pounders, standing at 5-foot-11, and both love to use their length and range both standing and on the ground.
Most fans would probably give Sandhagen a slight edge on the feet and Mix a slight edge on the ground, but as the latter showed in his KO win over Raufeon Stots, 'No Love' can crack too.
Essentially, this would be a coin flip of a fight, and would have the potential to produce an instant classic.
#2. Patchy Mix vs. Sean O'Malley
At the same event that Patchy Mix will make his octagon debut at - UFC 316 - Sean O'Malley will face off with Merab Dvalishvili in the headline bout with the bantamweight title on the line.
The last time 'Sugar' faced 'The Machine', he was well beaten. Realistically, there's nothing to suggest that history won't repeat itself next month.
If Mix manages to get past Mario Bautista, then, there's no reason why the UFC shouldn't match him with O'Malley for his next fight.
After all, 'No Love' talks a good game, as does O'Malley, and there's no doubt that the verbal warfare between these two before a clash would be almost as spectacular as what could happen in the octagon.
In terms of the fight, though, it could also be fantastic. Both Mix and O'Malley are tall, rangy bantamweights who use their length to their advantage. While Mix is more known for his grappling and O'Malley for his striking, both men are also proven in the other area, too.
Overall, then, this would be an amazing fight to make and could also be the ultimate test to see if Mix is ready to, no pun intended, mix it with the very best the UFC have to offer.
#1. Patchy Mix vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
Assuming he manages to beat Mario Bautista in his UFC debut - and that's not guaranteed, given Bautista's own skills - the ultimate fight for Patchy Mix would probably pit him against Umar Nurmagomedov.
'Young Eagle' was beaten by Merab Dvalishvili in their bantamweight title bout in January, but he pushed 'The Machine' harder than most of his opponents had previously done.
When you consider how easily he dominated Cory Sandhagen and the fact that he was unbeaten before that, it's fair to argue that he could be the second-best 135-pounder in the world.
If Patchy Mix believes he can compete for the UFC title, then, Nurmagomedov would be a fighter he'd need to get past.
More than that, though, the fight would be a potential barnburner from a grappling perspective. Nurmagomedov tends to use his takedowns, wrestling and top control to bully every fighter he faces.
Could he really do that to Mix, though, a submission expert who is seemingly lethal from every area, with a variety of different finishes on his ledger?
It's a great question to ask, and one that could only be answered if the two men meet in the octagon.
