LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] is just 30 and heading into his 10th fight in the UFC.
With years of longevity in the promotion, and a current five-fight winning streak, it doesn’t seem like Bautista is doing much wrong. But when it comes to self-promotion, he may recently have realized he needs to … well, sh*t or get off the proverbial pot.
“I just want to start working on some stuff outside, as far as fighting and the gym stuff,” Bautista said at a Wednesday media day in Las Vegas. “I think I need to start working on selling myself and promoting myself. I feel like that’s an area I kind of lack, and that’s just due to my demeanor – kind of quiet by nature. But I think the closer we get to the top, that’s going to be a very important thing in dictating fights and what fights I get and where I get put on cards. I’m going to try to look into that a little bit better for me this year.”
If stepping up his self-promotion game happens after his next win, Bautista (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will have done it against another of the bantamweight division’s most vaunted contenders, Ricky Simon (20-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC).
Simon has been good, himself. He had his own five-fight winning streak snapped less than a year ago. So the timing would be perfect for Bautista to step up the microphone game with a win. He’s a slight betting underdog in the fight, which is the first time he hasn’t been the favorite in nearly four years.
” I was mainly excited that I finally got a top-15 (opponent), and then who better than Ricky Simon,” Bautista said. “(He’s) a tough opponent and it’s really going to test me and it’s going to prove whether I belong there or not. I think stylistically, it’s going to be a fun fight for both of us and the fans.”
UFC Fight Night 234 (ESPN+) takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Benitez fights Miller in the featured bout on the main card.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.