Tag: Mario Bautista

UFC 307’s Mario Bautista: Jose Aldo ‘hard to finish, but I think he can crack mentally’

Mario Bautista will look to do something many rising contenders have failed to do against Jose Aldo.

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] will look to do something many rising contenders have failed to do against [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag].

Bautista (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) takes on former champion and UFC Hall of Famer Aldo (32-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) at UFC 307, which takes place Oct. 5 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Aldo has won four of his past five, with his lone loss in that stretch coming to current title challenger Merab Dvalishvili. “The King of Rio” has only been stopped once at bantamweight, but Bautista thinks he could trouble him with pressure.

“I just see it being a high-paced fight,” Bautista told Middle Easy. “He’s hard to finish, but I think he can crack mentally. All those losses he’s had recently, those guys put a high pace on him, and that’s something I’ve got to emulate.”

Bautista initially called out Rob Font after he defeated Ricky Simon in January. He’s grateful to be rewarded with an even bigger fight against Aldo.

“Definitely a win over Aldo is better than Rob Font,” Bautista said. “It’s a tougher fight, too – everything that Aldo’s done through this sport, and he’s still trying to do it, you know? A win over him definitely shoots me up there and puts a little bit more shine on me.”

Bautista has quietly won six fights in a row. He respects Aldo for his willingness to fight another rising contender after he rebounded with a win over Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301.

“I have the second most straight wins behind Merab,” Bautista said. “So it’s nice that they’re seeing that, and they actually gave me that opportunity because it’s Aldo. He could have went a whole different route in saying, ‘No, no, I’m not going to fight these young guys. I’m going to fight someone like Dominick Cruz. I’m going to fight a Henry Cejudo.’ You know, those opportunities. So for me to get this fight, I’m super excited about it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Mario Bautista won’t be ‘starstruck’ by Jose Aldo at UFC 307, preparing for ‘best version’ of UFC Hall of Famer

Mario Bautista won’t fall into the same trap as Jonathan Martinez and be “starstruck” by Jose Aldo when they fight at UFC 307.

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] is fully aware of what he’s dealing with in Jose Aldo at UFC 307, and he won’t let any mental obstacles get in the way of achieving victory.

Bautista (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) said he was “super excited” when the phone rang with what would be the biggest opportunity of his career so far. After putting together six consecutive wins in the bantamweight division, he draws UFC Hall of Famer Aldo (32-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) at UFC 307, which takes place Oct. 5 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

“Big name, big challenge, and a win over someone like Jose in this division – it shoots you up the rankings, and you become known to a lot of people after a fight like that,” Bautista told MMA Junkie Radio. “That’s what I was excited about. I was pushing for a fight against Rob Font, and then I just kind of forgot about it. I was ready for any fight. So when they gave me Jose, I was like, ‘I’m glad I waited and stayed patient.'”

The matchup will answer a lot of questions about both men. Bautista’s winning has positioned him with a step up, but former longtime UFC featherweight champ Aldo represents a significant step up in competition, even though he will be 38 by the time fight night arrives.

Aldo, No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, returned from a 21-month MMA retirement in May and completed his UFC contract with a vintage unanimous decision over Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. “Scarface” hinted that it could be his final fight with the promotion, but then he signed a new deal and the matchup with No. 14-ranked Bautista was announced for UFC 307.

The signing of a new deal indicates Aldo sees a positive future for himself still in the octagon. Beating another streaking name would be a statement for himself, but if it goes the other way for Bautista, it would be just as meaningful for his own career.

After his loss to Aldo at UFC 301, Martinez admitted he was starstruck by the legendary Brazilian when they stepped in the cage and didn’t perform to his peak. Bautista doesn’t anticipate having any such problems.

“I look at him as like a martial artist and the things he was able to do in the cage,” Bautista said. “Like that last fight against Ricky Simon, I was looking at guys with good takedown defense and he was one of the guys I was watching and studying to fight against Ricky and kind of take what he does. But no, as like a legend and someone I get starstruck about, I don’t think he’s one of those guys for me. I don’t know what was going wrong with Jonathan Martinez, but I don’t think it’s going to be a factor for me.

“I’m getting ready for the best version of Aldo there is. Like WEC Aldo. That’s the kind of Aldo I’m getting ready for. I think I’ve just got to overshoot it and just be ready for whatever Aldo shows up that night.”

Aldo has only ever been finished once since moving down to 135 pounds nearly five years ago, and that came in a title fight against Petr Yan. It’s no easy task to put him away inside the distance, but Bautista, 31, thinks he’s capable, and understands what the upside of winning in that manner would be.

“Definitely, if you can get the win, and in style – that’s always better,” Bautista said. “To get a quick finish and make it an early night, that’s always nice. But I think for this fight, one of us, both of us are going to get after it. It’s going to be fireworks. It’s going to be a good fight and it’s not going to be a boring fight for sure. Whatever happens, only good can come from it.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Jose Aldo return targeted for UFC 307 vs. Mario Bautista

“The King of Rio” Jose Aldo will return at UFC 307.

“The King of Rio” will return at UFC 307.

Former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] will battle [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] in a three-round bantamweight bout Oct. 5 at Delta Center.

Both fighters confirmed the booking on social media, although the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Ag. Fight first reported the matchup Thursday.

Aldo (32-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) returned from a near-two-year MMA retirement in May when he defeated Jonathan Martinez by unanimous decision. The bout was his first since a July 2022 loss to Merab Dvalishvili by unanimous decision. During his MMA hiatus, Aldo competed in three professional boxing matches and went 2-1. He was also inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023.

Bautista (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) enters his biggest fight to date on a six-fight winning streak. In January, he defeated Ricky Simon by unanimous decision. Bautista is a longtime member of the MMA Lab, training under coach John Crouch and alongside the likes of Sean O’Malley, Kyler Phillips, and more.

With the addition, the UFC 307 lineup includes:

  • Movsar Evloev vs. Aljamain Sterling
  • Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista
  • Chris Curtis vs. Kevin Holland
  • Iasmin Lucindo vs. Marina Rodriguez
  • Cesar Almeida vs. Ihor Potieria

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Mario Bautista hopes he gets Cory Sandhagen rematch before fighting for UFC title

Mario Bautista would love to cross paths with Cory Sandhagen again en route to a UFC title shot.

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] would love to cross paths with [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] again en route to a UFC title shot.

Bautista (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) notched his sixth win in a row when he defeated Ricky Simon by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 234. With the aim of breaking into the UFC’s top 10 bantamweight rankings, the 30-year-old called out Rob Font.

Sandhagen is on the cusp of title contention, and Bautista knows he’s not quite there yet. Bautista lost his UFC debut on short notice to Sandhagen in 2019 and relishes the opportunity to someday avenge that loss.

“I definitely want to fight Cory Sandhagen before I fight for the title,” Bautista told MMA Junkie Radio. “That’s another one I want to get back for sure. But, like I said, I have to work my way up, and I would have to feel right about asking for that.”

Bautista, who’s also ready to fight the likes of Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili, knows he isn’t in a position to be campaigning for those fights. However, it’s not a matter of competition.

“It’s just that they’re bigger stars,” Bautista explained. “Just for promotion-wise, I think it would be hard to sell those fights. Fight-wise, all the fighters would think those are awesome fights and would watch it no matter what. So, I think a great story would be against Sandhagen. I lost my debut against him, so for me to work all that way straight back to him at the top, I think that would be a great selling point.”

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Jan. 16: Mario Bautista makes notable climb

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 234 in Las Vegas.

The first UFC event of 2024 is in the books and while there weren’t a ton of contender fights featured, the card proved impactful for one bantamweight.

At UFC Fight Night 234, [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] defeated Ricky Simon by unanimous decision for arguably the biggest victory of his professional career. In doing so, he elevates to No. 11 in the USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings.

UFC flyweight [autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag] also enters the USA Today Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings rankings as an honorable mention for the first time, thanks to his impressive TKO victory over LFA flyweight champion Felipe Bunes in the event’s curtain-jerker.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 234: Is Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev a suitable UFC 300 headliner?

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 234, including a potential Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev title fight.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 234 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

Mario Bautista says UFC callout of Rob Font part of three-step plan: ‘Top 15, top 10, and top five’

Mario Bautista will likely break into the UFC bantamweight rankings and he already wants top-10 opponent Rob Font.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag] arguably notched the most impressive victory of his professional career Saturday at UFC Fight Night 234 when he defeated Ricky Simon by unanimous decision, but the focus is forward, forward, forward.

Following the win at the UFC Apex, Bautista (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) called out multitime promotional headliner [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) for a bantamweight contender battle.

“He’s lost in some certain ways,” Bautista told MMA Junkie and other reporters when asked about the callout at a post-fight news conference. “Whatever way the water flows easiest (is how I’ll win).”

Bautista likely will break into the promotion’s official rankings Monday. Currently, Font sits at No. 9, but is off back-to-back losses to Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo. Font, 36, doesn’t currently have a fight on the books.

“I would say around springtime, (I want to return),” Bautista said. “The way I planned it out is top 15, top 10 and top five at the end of the year (for my next opponents).”

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Bautista was one of two MMA Lab fighters, along with teammate Marcus McGhee, to win at UFC Fight Night 234. The gym, which was put on the map due to the championship run former lightweight titleholder Benson Henderson and head coach John Crouch put together years ago, has found great success in recent months with Bautista, Sean O’Malley, Jared Cannonier, and others finding great success in the cage. Bautista aims to keep the momentum going.

“It’s been great at the MMA Lab,” Bautista said. “It’s something we’ve built over the years, starting with Benson Henderson. He’s built this blueprint for us to follow to be where we’re at today. That’s all it is: Years of training all coming to a point.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.

UFC Fight Night 234 post-event facts: Jim Miller adds more records to epic resume

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 234, which saw Jim Miller grow his all-time wins record and add more history to his resume.

The UFC returned from its holiday hiatus on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and although it wasn’t the most stacked lineup, UFC Fight Night 234 delivered seven stoppage results out of 11 bouts.

In the main event, Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) produced definitive closure on his rivalry with Johnny Walker (21-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC), scoring a second-round knockout in their light heavyweight rematch to potentially set himself up for a championship opportunity.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 234.

UFC Fight Night 234 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jim Miller, Andrei Arlovski get max non-title payouts

UFC Fight Night 234 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 234 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $159,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 234 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 234 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brunno Ferreira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gaston Bolanos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Westin Wilson[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tom Nolan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Felipe Bunes[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2341 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

  • “UFC Fight Night 234: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” – $159,500

Year-to-date total: $159,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,866,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.

UFC Fight Night 234 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 234 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 234 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 234 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.