Mario Bautista vs. Jay Perrin
Round 1
Twelve fights will treat fans for this all-ESPN+ offering, and name value may be low but potential action could be high if the audience is lucky. We kick things off in the bantamweight division, as MMA Lab product Bautista (8-2, 2-2 UFC) faces short-notice New Hampshire-based newcomer Perrin (10-4, 0-0 UFC). The first assignment of the night goes to nonsense-slaying referee Keith Peterson, and with a touch of gloves between the two competitors, away we go! Bautista leads off with a leg kick when Perrin advances, and he slings another as Perrin backs off. The New Englander rushes forward in pursuit of a takedown, only to get met with a flying knee try on the way in. Perrin absorbs it and presses Bautista into the fence, but they split after a brief exchange. Bautista tries for another flying knee, and this one is less accurate as Perrin backs off in time. The two meet in the middle with right hands, and Perrin is able to gain some space and rip a kick to the calf. Perrin goes high with a kick, Bautista blocks it, kicks the leg and goes up top with a one-two. Bautista presses forward using his jab to back the newcomer off, and he bullies “Savage” Perrin into the wall. When Perrin looks to escape, Bautista muscles him back to the fence and drills him in the solar plexus with a knee. They trade short knees up the middle as they jockey for position against the wire, and when Perrin lifts up a knee, Bautista trips his leg out and drops him to his knees. Perrin muscles his way back up, and they trade short shots before splitting. Bautista reaches with a long combination, and at the end of a punch, he staggers Perrin briefly. The New England native shoots in as a response to hit a quick double-leg takedown, but as soon as Bautista’s backside hits the mat, he is already looking for a way up. Bautista powers his way up, and he turns the tables in search his own takedown entry. There is nothing to be had from it, and Perrin with his back against the fence scores a solid knee up the middle. Bautista responds with a thudding shoulder strike, and this forces a split. Perrin absorbs a knee up close, dislodging his mouthpiece, and he stands back to allow Peterson to replace it. Bautista attacks with a spinning back elbow that goes wide, and the opening round ends.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bautista
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Bautista
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Bautista
Round 2
The bantamweights offer and accept a glove touch to start the second stanza, and Perrin comes out firing with a couple of looping shots. Perrin backs his man off and attempts to steal his thunder with a flying knee, but it glances off his intended target. Perrin takes a right hand flush on the chin, forcing him to reset, and they both stick jabs out. Bautista walks his man down and leaps in the air with a knee, and the knee brushes off the side of the debuting fighter’s head but does not hurt him. Perrin ties him up, and they both start kneeing each other up close. Bautista goes back to shoulder strikes, mixing in with a few elbows, and he drags Perrin to the mat. “Savage” springs back up, and Bautista grabs him from the neck from behind and throws him down to the canvas in pursuit of a submission setup or back take. Perrin scrambles effectively to break the grip, and he shakes his head to get Bautista’s hands off of him. The clinch ensues again, and Perrin changes levels for a double that does not succeed. Bautista circles around after thwarting an attempt to try to hit a trip, but he bails on it so that he can stand Perrin up with a flush elbow on the nose. Bautista loads up on another elbow to the same spot, and Perrin is forced to blink it out and then takes a few knees to the body. Perrin tries to pay him back with an elbow and a few punches, but Bautista is able to shell up and back out of range. Bautista closes in on him and knees up the middle, and Perrin eats it like a steak and walks forward to land a trio of punches. Bautista shrugs them off and digs the midsection with a kick. They trade strikes, and Perrin charges with a salvo of punches and a kick, only to most hit air or his foe’s guard. Perrin begins to plod forward with strike combinations, and when they are blocked, both fighters opt to throw single high kicks. The round ends after these unsuccessful head kicks.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bautista
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Bautista
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Bautista
Round 3
The fighters are happy to touch gloves to start off the last round, and Perrin takes a few steps back in anticipation of a flying knee. It comes from Bautista, and Perrin is well out of the way in time. Perrin starts chipping away with low kicks and body shots, but his punches that follow are largely inaccurate as Bautista moves quickly. Bautista answers Perrin’s single shots with some of his own, matching a leg kick for his own that sounds much heavier. Bautista charges in, and his sheer momentum bowls the newcomer over for a moment. Perrin powers his way back up, but he finds himself absorbing shoulder checks to the jaw, one of which dislodges his mouthpiece. Bautista wrangles him down to the mat by taking him from behind, and he kicks at Perrin’s leg to try to trip him out. When this does not succeed, Peterson hands Perrin’s mouthpiece back, and it is replaced. Bautista advances rapidly to start laying into Perrin with close, powerful strikes. Several thumping knees and elbows over the top make Perrin double over, and Bautista continues his surge of strikes that have bloodied Perrin’s face up and forced him to take a few deep breaths. A few more shoulders of the MMA Lab fighter smash into Perrin’s jaw, and Bautista controls his debuting foe against the wire while laying into Perrin with powerful strikes. A huge elbow comes over the top from Bautista, and Perrin is wearing it but not out of it as he turns Bautista around and tries for a takedown. Bautista stops this in its tracks, pounds a knee into Perrin’s chest, and trips the newcomer down in an emphatic “Welcome to the UFC” exchange. Perrin crawls to his knee, and as soon as he stands, Bautista smashes him in the face with a high knee. The relatively one-sided match comes to a close in the clinch position.
Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Bautista (30-27 Bautista)
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Bautista (30-27 Bautista)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Bautista (30-27 Bautista)
The Official Result
Mario Bautista def. Jay Perrin via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
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