Athletes
MARIO BAUTISTA IS EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE
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There is nothing more sour than the taste of defeat, and when you haven’t lost in some time, that initial sensation straight after the verdict is read aloud hits you with 10x force, reminding you — hard — of just what an awful feeling it is to lose.
But after the disappointment starts to pass and heartbreak gives way to less emotional reflection, there are often positives that can be mined and takeaways that dull the pain, turning something that felt crushing in the moment into a chance to make some changes and improve.
“It’s not too bad; give it a little time, and it’s not too bad,” Mario Bautista said with a smile, a couple of months after having his extended winning streak snapped by Umar Nurmagomedov and a handful of days ahead of his return to action against Vinicius Oliveira this weekend at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. “You go on an eight-fight winning streak, and each camp, once you get to around five or six, you’re like, ‘Man, should I change this? Should I do that? No, I’m winning; let’s not change anything.’ So this gives me the perfect excuse to adapt, make some changes, and grow.
“The moments right after are pretty deflating, but then you take a look back, and you get all these compliments from everyone saying, ‘You did such a great job, you pushed hard, you gave him a good fight.’ And then me knowing that in my camps, if I could get that one percent, day-by-day, I’m right there. That’s where I find the positives in things, and it’s very encouraging.”
There is an interesting dichotomy that exists in combat sports or any sporting venture where individuals compete singularly again one another, either head-to-head or in a large field, like in golf or cycling: when things are all said and done and they’ve come up short, most are quick to say, “The better man won” or offer some kind of recognition about the victor just being on a different level that particular day, but truly accepting that is the case and making the adjustments needed to close gap is far more difficult.
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But it feels like a crucial distinction and important piece of the puzzle because if offered as only a platitude and a bit of salve for a bruised ego, the same thing could happen again the next time you line up across from a superior opponent or wade into a deep field brimming with standouts. It could happen regardless — that’s the rub — so being brutally honest in your assessment of what went wrong and how to narrow that gap feels like a step more people should be looking to take.
“You kind of get to feel the elite of the elite ,” Bautista said of sharing the Octagon with Nurmagomedov. “That team is so respected and they’re just doing great things, not only in the UFC, but pretty much everywhere. Feeling that and feeling that I’m not too far off — if I could just make some minor adjustments in camp, I’m right there. So that’s a positive to take out of it.”
Getting quickly booked into a main event assignment opposite the ascending Oliveira also provides some assurance that, despite the setback, he’s still viewed as a threat in the bantamweight division and someone deserving of these types of opportunities.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” he said of headlining for the first time. “After that fight, you come off a loss, and you’re like, ‘So where do I go now?’ I wouldn’t say I was rewarded, but I’ve been given an opportunity where it’s like, ‘You tried super-hard, gave him a good fight; let’s give you a main event, a five-round fight and see what you can do there. Maybe we can get you back to where you were.’
“That’s how I’m looking at it, and I’m super-grateful for the opportunity.
“It definitely makes you feel good and makes you want to go out there and give it your all again, give a great performance,” he added, not that giving anything less is something that has ever crossed his mind. “If you’re gonna be rewarded with these opportunities, why not give it all you’ve got?”
While Saturday night represents the first five-round fight of his career, the MMA Lab representative has an abundance of teammates and coaches to lean on and look to when it comes to helping him prepare for this weekend’s clash with Oliveira, including a former UFC champion with a wealth of experience in five-round affairs.
“I’m looking at the blueprint that was set by Benson Henderson at our gym,” Bautista said of the former WEC and UFC titleholder, who competed in nine title fights and logged another five main event appearances between his final four appearances in the “Little Blue Cage” and his UFC career. “This guy has fought plenty of five-round fights, and he knows how to train for them.
“This is my first time doing five rounds, so my memories of him getting ready for those five-round fights, those title fights, I’ve implemented that into my camp. It’s a lot of work — think Merab (Dvalishvili) style, Dominick Cruz style; all of these hard workers putting in round after round.
“No one has naturally that style in the gym, but my training partners are such great guys and are giving me the best looks they can, which has been great and I’m grateful to them for that,” continued the Top 10 bantamweight when asked about preparing for the aggressive Oliveira, who brings a more “hands down, swing heavy” approach. “It’s been fun, and if you turn it up a little bit, you start catching them while they’re doing that style, they’ll slowly revert back to keeping their hands up where they’re supposed to be.
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“I think he brings it every time,” he added, offering a quick assessment of his Brazilian foe. “He’s a great pressure fighter — very wild, unpredictable — but I see a lot of openings, I see a lot of mistakes, and I think over the course of a five-round fight, those mistakes will get bigger and bigger and leave me with some opportunities to possibly get that finish or break him down over time.”
For Bautista, the timing of this weekend’s return to action couldn’t be better, as there have already been a pair of critical top 10 matchups taking place this year, including Nurmagomedov picking up another victory, with three more bantamweight pairings set to hit the Octagon on Saturday before he and Oliveira close out the show.
Staying active and front of mind are always important, but that’s doubly true in a division as rich with talent as the 135-pound ranks, so the 32-year-old welcomes the opportunity to try and keep pace while getting to live out one of the dreams he’s carried with him since he first began his mixed martial arts career.
“Absolutely, especially coming off that fight without being hurt or anything,” he said when asked about the importance of making a relatively quick return to action and fighting again two weeks after Nurmagomedov earned a clear decision win over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324. “I’m trying to keep pace with these guys; he’s right back in there and so am I. I’m still heading in that same direction, and I’m not too far off.
“This is what I dreamed of,” said Bautista, reflecting on the opportunity at hand and the position he’s in at the moment. “When you come up, you don’t really picture yourself on the prelims; it’s these moments I’ve dreamed of, so I’m excited to go out there and make them come true.”
And after tasting defeat for the first time in more than four years back in October, there is nothing he wants more than to enjoy the sweet taste of victory on Saturday night and turn his first main event assignment into the first of many.
“It’s gonna be great,” he said of getting his hand raised once again, a quick smile flashing across his face. “(The ball) is gonna keep on rolling. Nothing has really changed — I’m still training hard, and I’m excited for the future with these five-round fights, these main event spots.”
UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 7, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!