""It's surreal, you know? First main event, five rounder against a tough opponent," Bautista (17-3) told Cageside Press and other media outlets following the bout, speaking backstage at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. "Just watching his highlight reel all week, you don't want to come out on that side. For me to come out on top, it just feels amazing.""
"Ahead of the fight, one key narrative was the 30 pounds Oliveira carried into Fight Week. In response, Bautista noted that "I think that whole thing about him being 165 pounds or whatever, to me, you're slow. It makes you slow." If Oliveira had any size or power advantage, it didn't show. And Bautista's Fight IQ served him well. "I could see everything, I had great eyes in there. All the experience I have. I've seen everything," he stated."
"Oliveira got right in Bautista's face, telling him to "Smile. Smile while you can." In response, Bautista joked that "it seems like you want to kiss me." "I think I broke his character, he started laughing," suggested Bautista, who added that the trash talk picked up again just prior to the bout, during the fighter introductions. "You want to kiss me now?' Oliveira asked him. "I just blew him a couple of kisses before I beat him up. It's all part of the show.""
Mario Bautista dominated the UFC Vegas 113 main event, earning a second-round submission over Vinicius Oliveira with a near-flawless performance. Bautista described the moment as surreal, noting the significance of his first five-round main event and the satisfaction of overcoming Oliveira's reputation. Oliveira entered fight week carrying roughly 30 extra pounds, a factor Bautista suggested made him slower. Bautista credited his fight IQ and experience for reading Oliveira effectively and executing the finish. Tension and trash talk marked the weigh-ins and introductions, but Bautista maintained composure. Bautista trains at The MMA Lab in Scottsdale and called out Cory Sandhagen, seeking a summer return.
Read at Cageside Press
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