Winnemucca’s Mario Bautista will be fighting in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 5, as part of UFC 307.
A win is a win is a win and Mario Bautista isn’t going to apologize for anything and is not listening to any of the critics from fellow fighters, to media and fans.
In his last bout at UFC 307 on Oct. 5, in Salt Lake City, Bautista took on Hall of Famer Jose Aldo from Brazil and won by a split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Even though this was the closest the Lowry High School graduate and former Winnemucca resident had fought, he was not the fan favorite. Aldo, who is a legend in UFC, had a majority of the fan support in his return to the ring.
When the decision was read, the fans showed their displeasure but Bautista knew in his heart that he was the aggressor in the fight and earned the victory. Bautista improved to 15-2 in all MMA fights and 9-2 in the UFC bantamweight division (135 pounds). He has won seven fights in a row and it this was his first by a split decision.
“Anywhere Jose goes in the world, he is going to be the fan favorite for sure,” Bautista said in a phone interview from Arizona.
“That helped because that took some of the pressure off of me and put it on him. I didn’t mind it. I felt that I had won it. I was worried crowd reaction when he would land something or not would maybe sway the judges. Jose rocked me pretty good in the second round and I changed some things up.”
Bautista from there went back to his wrestling backround and started grappling with Aldo. Many thought Bautista was stalling but Bautista told MMA Junkie Radio that bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvii did the same thing against Aldo.
Despite the criticism, Bautista noted it was the biggest win of his career and that it is not everyday you get to fight a hall of famer and beat him.
“I thought he would be a little more active and I was accused of holding him against the fence,” Bautista said. “At the same time, I thought he would get off the fence and keep the action going but it did not go that way.”
On Oct. 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC. Aldo became the inaugural UFC Featherweight Champion, receiving the first ever UFC featherweight title belt. His first defense was set to take place at UFC 125 against Josh Grisp but he was forced to withdraw from UFC 125 after suffering a neck injury.
Aldo made his first title defense against Mark Hominick on April 30, 2011, at UFC 129 by defeating the Canadian by a unanimous decision.
The 31-year-old fighter admitted he bruised and battered a little bit after the fight but is recovering back at his home in Arizona and looking for a big fight in early 2025.
“I am just looking to recover a little bit and get ready to get back to train and get ready for 2025,” said Bautista. “I needed to get a few stiches after the fight but it’s all part of the game. It was expected from a fighter like him. It was nice to see family and friends after he fight. We were able to go out and have some dinner and just relax and talk.”
He made a quick stop in Winnemucca the day after the fight to spend some time with family and headed back to Arizona. Bautista usually fights only twice of the year just due to the brutality of the sport. It’s very rare to fight three times in a calendar year. He is looking to fight in the early part of 2025.
The win put Bautista No. 9 in the bantamweight rankings and he added that he will be an interested spectator in some upcoming fights that could impact his future.
“There will be a couple fights in the top 10, so I am waiting for that,” he said. “I am going to base my next move after that but I would like to get back in the ring early in 2025. I am going to heal up and then get back to my regular training schedule. I am still looking and working to get a shot at the title soon.”