Mario Bautista is not overwhelmed by the opportunity of facing a former champion.
Bautista (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) got his wish and will take on Cody Garbrandt (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston. Garbrandt, a former UFC bantamweight champion, will be arguably the biggest name Bautista has faced to date.
But the 30-year-old MMA Lab fighter says Garbrandt is no longer the undefeated phenom that was running through guys. “No Love” has lost five of his past seven, but was able to rebound in his most recent outing against Trevin Jones at UFC 285.
“It’s just another fight,” Bautista told MMA Junkie Radio. “That’s all it is to me. He’s had some ups and downs lately, so I’m looking to capitalize on that. I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. It’s just another fight to me, and he’s someone that can be beat and that has been beat before. All I can do is just work as hard as I can and roll the dice out there just like I do every time – and it usually works out pretty good for me.”
Bautista has quietly climbed the bantamweight ladder. Most recently, he submitted Brian Kelleher, Benito Lopez and Guido Cannetti all in the first round. He’s OK if people overlook him.
“I don’t mind it too much,” Bautista said. “I’ve been kind of flying under the radar, and that’s fine. But now I get the opportunity to really showcase my skills and have a good card to be on for everyone to see.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
