Mario Bautista Faces Legend Jose Aldo in a Career Defining Moment at UFC 307

The feelings on fight week fluctuate, depending on the athlete. Some dread the upcoming weight cut while others are getting butterflies in the stomach about the upcoming fistfight awaiting them.

When it comes to bantamweight contender Mario Bautista, I’m guessing that he’s the happiest guy in the world because when he looks at the thermometer in Salt Lake City, Utah, it’s going to read 81 degrees before he steps into the Octagon to face Jose Aldo.

It may seem like a little thing, but when you live in Arizona, which topped out at 110 degrees yesterday and hit over 100 degrees for over 100 consecutive days this summer, a “cold wave” of 81 must feel like heaven.

“I wish it was cold, to be honest,” laughs the Nevada native. “I’d feel better about feeling like Rocky Balboa running out there, but when it’s hot, it’s just a different kind of thing.”

So no running of the mountains in 120-degree heat?

“Oh no,” he said. “The fire department would have to come get me if I do that.”

All kidding aside, there has to be a sense that as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career on the UFC 307 main card that maybe, just maybe, he’s suffering a little more than his opponent on the way to Utah.

“I think that sometimes,” Bautista said. “Actually, before my workouts, we warm up outside and I don’t even know why we warm up outside during the summer. But yeah, it definitely warms you up quick.”

And with Bautista all warmed up – literally and figuratively – it’s time to not just make the walk for the 11th time, but to make the statement to the world he’s been wanting to since he debuted in the UFC in 2019.

“I think this is the one,” he said. “I think this is going to do it for me, so I’m excited for it.”

He’s earned it. Currently ranked 11th in the world at 135 pounds, Bautista has won six straight, ending three of those victories before the final horn. But that signature fight against a “name” opponent has eluded him. Not anymore, and you can’t get a bigger name than that of the hall of famer from Brazil, who ended a short retirement in May with a win over Jonathan Martinez. Like most active fighters, Bautista is a longtime fan of Aldo, but he never thought he’d be standing opposite him in the Octagon.

“I always enjoyed watching his fights, but I never really pictured myself fighting him,” said Bautista. “He was always at 145. But I do remember watching quite a bit of him through the WEC, then he was coming up when he got over to the UFC and had those fights with Chad Mendes. I remember all those.”

Mario Bautista punches Ricky Simon in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

And when the call came?

“Honestly, it was a little surprising,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting that, but I was definitely happy with it.”

Happy, expecting a tough fight, but not awestruck.

“I don’t think it’s going to be like that,” said Bautista. “I’ve never really felt like that. Yeah, it’s going to be my first time, but I think someone trying to knock me out and fighting me, I’m not going to let it just happen. I’m not that type of person. So I don’t care who you are, if you’re trying to fight, I’m always willing and ready.”

The 31-year-old Bautista also isn’t looking at Aldo as a 38-year-old just one fight removed from being retired. He’s expecting and preparing for the Aldo that built a hall of fame resume in both the UFC and WEC.

“The way I approach it is I always aim for the highest point,” he said. “I would rather overshoot than undershoot. So I’m picturing the WEC Aldo, the one that fought Urijah Faber and chopped down his legs, the quick explosive Aldo. That’s who I’m preparing for. So, like I said, I’d like to overshoot and once I get out there, just really perform. That’s my mindset towards it.”

Mario Bautista reacts after his victory over Guido Cannetti of Argentina in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on March 11, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

No fight week selfies, then?

“Before the fight? No. We’ll have to wait ‘til afterwards.”

Bautista laughs, as ready as he’ll ever be for a fight that will change the trajectory of his career if he wins it. It could change the trajectory of Aldo’s career, as well, but Bautista isn’t concerned with that end of things.

“Hey, we’re in there to fight,” he said. “You’re trying to take my money. We’re fighting for the same spot. It’s my turn now. You’ve had your turn. I’m sorry. That’s just the way I look at it. Maybe I’ll feel differently afterwards, but, as of now, I have to break him.”

In a lot of ways, Bautista and Aldo are kindred spirits. Both show up to fight without the fanfare many have come to expect from their sporting heroes. It’s not the fastest way to the top, but hey, they say slow and steady wins the race for a reason.

“It gets pretty tough, but, for me, I feel like I’ve always had that path – the hardest path,” Bautista said. “And the only downside of this process is time. It’s kind of a race against time; some guys are loudmouths and do the social media thing and they get to where I’m at by maybe 27, 28. And they did it that way, but you never know; sometimes those guys don’t even last that long because they shot up so quickly. It is tough to look at it in certain ways, but I don’t know, I think, at the end of the day, I could just look back at it and say, I’m proud of the way I did it, and I stuck to my own little code.”