Las Vegas – Bantamweight Mario Bautista headlines his first UFC card this Saturday, taking on Vinicius Oliveira in the headliner of UFC Vegas 113.
The fight isn’t going without a bit of drama, as Oliveira said just days ago that a week after the fight he was down 30 pounds. A major weight saving looms. Bautista himself said during media day on Wednesday that he preferred to keep his weight down during fight week.
“No, I like to be quite disciplined and besides, I don’t have any problems that way during Fight Week,” said Bautista (16-3) speaking to media outlets such as Cageside Press. “Hopefully he makes the weight, and if he doesn’t, we’ll walk away with a little bit more money. Either way.”
Oliveira has only lost by finish, and that’s an area Bautista could perhaps exploit. “I’m definitely going to be looking for the finish, yeah. I think he’s lost three times by knockout; he’s a man who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. I’m definitely looking for that.”
Bautista’s arrival at this point has been a long time coming. The 32-year-old has come a long way in the UFC, perhaps in part because of his soft voice. He’s not a trash talker, not one to cause a scene, but he doesn’t feel like this has really hurt him.
‘I wouldn’t say that. I have that Umar.’ [Nurmagomedov] Fight, I lost this main event spot too. Could it have helped? Probably,” he told Cageside Press. “It works for Vinicius, his style and the way he carries himself, he has this spot in four fights. But the positive for me is that I gained a lot of experience doing it the hard way, with all these battles. So no, I don’t think so.”
Nurmagomedov was Bautista’s most recent opponent, and a decision loss to the Dagestani snapped an eight-fight win streak. The ninth-ranked bantamweight admits he struggled at first.
“It’s definitely tough. Those first few weeks I felt like I just shit the bed. I was upset. And then everyone said I did a great job, I went out there, I fought hard, really fought him.” That, compared to Umar’s most recent fight, where Deiveson Figueiredo seemed to have no interest in Nurmagomedov. “I went out there and did my best. What it made me realize is that I belong right at the top. Everyone thinks Umar can be a champion and probably will be a champion, and I gave him a pretty tough fight.”
Bautista hopes the couple will cross paths again one day. “And hopefully he will have the belt.”
The next step for the UFC bantamweight title is almost certainly an immediate rematch between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. The UFC doesn’t always book immediate rematches, but Bautista believes the Georgian ex-champ deserves the opportunity.
“I think Merab definitely deserves it. He was a great champion, he fought whenever the company asked him to, he fought four times in the calendar year. All tough fights. So yes, I think he deserves it.”
Watch Mario Bautista’s full UFC Vegas 113 media day appearance above.
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