""I have the opportunity, I've been saying all week, I have the opportunity to change things up, really shake up the division," Bautista told media outlets including Cageside Press on Wednesday. "Otherwise, if Umar wins, it's just going to be rematches from here on out for a little bit for Merab. You have [Cory] Sandhagen who can work his way back up. So I have the opportunity to shake things up, and that's what I plan on doing.""
""I think a knockout would be easier than a submission. I think he's pretty good on the ground," the bantamweight contender noted."
""If that fight comes about, I would definitely like to take it. As long as he's ahead of me, I would like to take it," he stated. "That fight was so long ago, I know I'm a different fighter. He's a different fighter. So yeah I would love to get that one back.""
Mario Bautista, ranked #9 and riding an eight-fight win streak, meets Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi in what Bautista calls his toughest test to date. Nurmagomedov is a recent title challenger who suffered his first professional loss to Merab Dvalishvili earlier this year. Bautista sees the matchup as an opportunity to shake up the bantamweight division and is aiming for a first-round finish, preferably a knockout because he views Nurmagomedov as strong on the ground. Bautista also expressed interest in a potential rematch with Cory Sandhagen, who holds one of his two career losses.
Read at Cageside Press
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