Mario Bautista is determined to shake up the UFC bantamweight division when he faces Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321 on Saturday, confident he can silence the hype surrounding the Dagestani contender with an early finish.
"Yeah, a first-round knockout would be nice," Bautista told reporters at Wednesday's media day. "I only say that just so I can go home early and I won't have to deal with the rest of two rounds.
"That's the perfect scenario, right? So a finish over him, I think that'd be the way to go."
Bautista arrived in Abu Dhabi earlier in the week via a 16-hour flight from Houston in an effort to acclimate himself to be in the best possible shape to face Nurmagomedov.
Saturday will be the Dagestani's first fight since losing to UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in January. Few have asked as many questions of the relentless Georgian as Nurmagomedov, and Bautista acknowledged how well he had performed on the night.
"Rounds three, four, and five against Merab he showed a lot. He put the pressure on and set a blueprint – no one else really wrestled him that way.”
Outside of Dvalishvili, Bautista is one of the few ranked fighters with a string of consecutive victories in the bantamweight division, winning his last eight to take his overall record to 16 wins against two losses.
He is developing something of a reputation of party-pooper after derailing the legendary Jose Aldo's comeback and shutting down Patch Mix's coming-out party after joining from a rival organisation.
"Yeah, I’ve heard that – ruining Aldo’s comeback, beating Patchy Mix after he came over from Bellator. I don’t really thrive on that, but it doesn’t bother me either. I don’t care who’s in front of me – Aldo, Umar, whoever – they all bleed the same, they all train the same. I just focus on what I do. In my head, I put those guys in my training room, and every time, I see them breaking. That’s how I deal with the pressure.”
A win for Nurmagomedov will almost certainly see him face the winner of December's title showdown between Dvalishvili and Petr Yan. Bautista, 32, has other ideas.
“I’ve seen people already talking about Umar versus Merab, or Umar versus Petr Yan again, but honestly, we’ll see after Saturday. I have the chance to shake things up, to change the direction of the division. Otherwise, it’s just going to be rematches for a while. So yeah, this is my opportunity to make some noise," said Bautista.
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Umar Nurmagomedov takes part in an open workout at Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi ahead of his fight against Mario Bautista in the bantamweight division at UFC 321. All photos Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Umar Nurmagomedov takes part in an open workout at Yas Mall -
Umar Nurmagomedov will be the favourite when he faces Mario Bautista -
Umar Nurmagomedov prepares for his fight since since losing to UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in January -
Mackenzie Dern during an open workout ahead of her title fight against Virna Jandiroba in the strawweight division -
Virna Jandiroba prepares for her title fight against Mackenzie Dern -
Tom Aspinall takes part in an open workout ahead of his title fight against Ciryl Gane in the heavyweight division -
Ciryl Gane prepares for his title fight against Tom Aspinall in the heavyweight division -
Ciryl Gane during the open workout at Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi -
Tom Aspinall at Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi
"It feels like people are looking past me, talking about Umar’s next fights. But that’s fine. Saturday’s my chance to change that. If I win, everything shifts. It’s my day.”
Some pundits have classed this as a mismatch, with Nurmagomedov's only defeat in 19 fights coming at the hands of Dvalishvili. For Bautista, it's the perfect match.
“I think it’s going to be an up-and-down fight – literally. I don’t see it being just a striking battle," he said.
"We’ll go to the mat, there’ll be moments where he’s on top, moments where I’m on top. That’s what makes it exciting. We’re both well-rounded, both dangerous everywhere, so it’s going to be interesting.
"For me, it’s just about sticking to my own game plan and not worrying about what gym he’s from or what others are saying. Go in there, invest in what works, and stay disciplined.”
