Mario Bautista
USA
Fight booked for UFC 321
Bautista is set to fight Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 25, MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Bautista finds himself in the cross hairs of Nurmagomedov, who will be seeking redemption after falling to Merab Dvalishvili in his last bought at UFC 311 in January. However, Bautista has been performing at a high level of late, winning each of his last eight fights dating back to February of 2022.
Bautista finds himself in the cross hairs of Nurmagomedov, who will be seeking redemption after falling to Merab Dvalishvili in his last bought at UFC 311 in January. However, Bautista has been performing at a high level of late, winning each of his last eight fights dating back to February of 2022.
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Runs winning streak to eight
Bautista defeated Patchy Mix via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27) at UFC 316 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey.
ANALYSIS
Entering as a +150 underdog and getting no respect against the debuting Mix, one of the most storied champions in Bellator history, Bautista went out and handled his business like usual. Aided by the fact Mix refused to try to lean on his terrific grappling game, Bautista simply pushed the pace and was in full control of what was essentially a 15-minute kickboxing match. If you try to beat Mario with kickboxing and cardio, you're almost certain to lose, as Mix found out here. The 31-year-old Arizona native has won eight in a row dating back to February 2022 and is quickly closing in on title-implicating bouts in a loaded bantamweight division.
Entering as a +150 underdog and getting no respect against the debuting Mix, one of the most storied champions in Bellator history, Bautista went out and handled his business like usual. Aided by the fact Mix refused to try to lean on his terrific grappling game, Bautista simply pushed the pace and was in full control of what was essentially a 15-minute kickboxing match. If you try to beat Mario with kickboxing and cardio, you're almost certain to lose, as Mix found out here. The 31-year-old Arizona native has won eight in a row dating back to February 2022 and is quickly closing in on title-implicating bouts in a loaded bantamweight division.
Will face Patchy Mix
Bautista will face Patchy Mix at UFC 316 in Newark on June 7.
ANALYSIS
Bautista was originally scheduled to face Marlon Vera, but the Ecuadorian stepped out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury. This will be Mix's debut at the UFC level, and he'll do it against an opponent who has won each of his last seven fights.
Bautista was originally scheduled to face Marlon Vera, but the Ecuadorian stepped out of the fight due to an undisclosed injury. This will be Mix's debut at the UFC level, and he'll do it against an opponent who has won each of his last seven fights.
Requires new opponent
Bautista will not fight Marlon Vera at UFC 316 in Newark on June 7, according to Mike Heck of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
UFC Des Moines has gone by without a Bautista-Vera fight because it got pushed back to June 7. However, Vera will be unavailable then, leaving Bautista without an opponent.
UFC Des Moines has gone by without a Bautista-Vera fight because it got pushed back to June 7. However, Vera will be unavailable then, leaving Bautista without an opponent.
Next challenger steps in
Bautista will face Marlon Vera in a bantamweight fight at UFC Des Moines on May 3, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Bautista is coming off his seventh straight victory dating back to February 2022 after defeating Jose Aldo by unanimous decision during UFC 307 at Salt Lake City. Mario will face fellow 31-year old Marlon Vera, who is coming off a loss and has been enduring a tough stretch, looking to bounce back against the 5-foot-9 brawler.
Bautista is coming off his seventh straight victory dating back to February 2022 after defeating Jose Aldo by unanimous decision during UFC 307 at Salt Lake City. Mario will face fellow 31-year old Marlon Vera, who is coming off a loss and has been enduring a tough stretch, looking to bounce back against the 5-foot-9 brawler.
Runs winning streak to seven
Bautista defeated Jose Aldo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) at UFC 307 on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
ANALYSIS
Credit to Bautista for doing what was necessary to (barely) win the fight and not worrying about the crowd reaction in the process. The entire world knows Aldo possesses some of the best takedown defense of all time in any division, but that didn't stop Mario from firing off 10 attempts. Every single one failed, but Bautista was still credited with 7:15 worth of control time because his primary offensive weapon was to pin Aldo along the fence. With the fight tied at a round apiece, Mario went to the well over and over in Round 3. It wasn't pretty to watch, but it did convince two of the three judges that he deserved to win the fight. The 31-year-old MMA Lab product has won seven straight dating back to February 2022 and is closing in on title-implicating bouts in what is a loaded bantamweight division.
Credit to Bautista for doing what was necessary to (barely) win the fight and not worrying about the crowd reaction in the process. The entire world knows Aldo possesses some of the best takedown defense of all time in any division, but that didn't stop Mario from firing off 10 attempts. Every single one failed, but Bautista was still credited with 7:15 worth of control time because his primary offensive weapon was to pin Aldo along the fence. With the fight tied at a round apiece, Mario went to the well over and over in Round 3. It wasn't pretty to watch, but it did convince two of the three judges that he deserved to win the fight. The 31-year-old MMA Lab product has won seven straight dating back to February 2022 and is closing in on title-implicating bouts in what is a loaded bantamweight division.