This past Saturday on the main card of UFC 307, we saw a big time matchup in the bantamweight division. Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo (32-9) returned to the octagon as he took on Mario Bautista (15-2).
Bautista entered the bout having won six fights in a row and he was looking for the biggest win of his career. He had been known for his exciting style where he was always coming forward with incredible pressure while throwing strikes and mixing in wrestling. Well, his performance on Saturday was anything but exciting.
While Bautista would exchange with Aldo here and there, it was clear what his game plan was. Bautista was looking to take Aldo down at all cost. Throughout the three rounds, he didn’t land one successful takedown but it didn’t stop him from grabbing ahold of Aldo and pushing him against the fence.
Bautista never tried to inflict a ton of damage instead he controlled Aldo against the fence while Aldo looked frustrated. When they did strike Aldo got the better of the exchanges. Entering the third round, I had it 1-1 and Bautista did control Aldo against the fence for much of the third round at UFC 307.
However, there were several striking exchanges and in every exchange, Aldo landed much bigger shots. I thought because of that, he deserved the third round and the decision win. One judge and Dana White agreed with this, but two judges gave the fight to Bautista who was completely drowned out with boos.
What’s next after UFC 307?
Mario Bautista is very talented and he’s a very good fighter. Calling a spade a spade, his performance on Saturday night sucked. In his post-fight interview he said he had to do what he had to do, but the game plan was not appealing and he never was trying to do anything to work towards a finish which is the top criteria in judging. That’s why I don’t believe he should have won the fight, but obviously two of the judges didn’t agree.
With a win over Aldo and now having won seven in a row, he is expecting a big jump in competition, but I can assure you the UFC is not going to do him any favors after that performance. If there’s one thing Dana White despises it’s guys who just lay against the fence and don’t work. That’s what Bautista did for the majority of his fight.
In terms of a next opponent, Bautista called for names like Cory Sandhagen, Sean O’Malley, and Henry Cejudo. I don’t see any of those happening. Instead, I think a much more likely opponent is Song Yadong. Song would be a big test for Bautista and he’s just in front of him in the rankings. I know a seven-fight win streak normally means a lot in the UFC, but he’s not jumping the line off that kind of performance.