When Mario Bautista steps back into the octagon at UFC 316, it will be roughly eight months after his split-decision victory over Jose Aldo. He is more than ready to put the controversy and discussion surrounding that specific fight firmly behind him.
The bout proved to be a demanding, back-and-forth battle where Bautista managed to secure a split-decision win. However, the outcome immediately sparked criticism, with many feeling he did not deserve the nod. His tactical approach, aimed at neutralizing many of Aldo`s key strengths, also drew significant angry reactions. What should have been a moment of triumph for the biggest win of his career turned into Bautista having to defend his performance. The entire situation was brought up again when Aldo recently returned to face Aiemann Zahabi at UFC 315.
While the ordeal was frustrating, Bautista recognized that the intense reaction was largely due to Aldo`s status as one of the sport`s most popular and respected figures, and less a personal attack on him.
As Bautista stated, “Everyone loves Jose Aldo and everyone wants to see the old Jose Aldo. The highlights, all the things he could do, and I think they’re just mad that I shut it all down and I wasn’t going to allow it to happen.”
Bautista suggested that Aldo`s performance against Zahabi clearly illustrates why he chose not to engage in unnecessary risks or attempt to turn their fight into a three-round slugfest.
Although Zahabi successfully navigated a difficult third round before securing a unanimous decision victory, Aldo unleashed a barrage of strikes that came close to finishing the fight. For Bautista, this moment highlighted precisely why he avoided engaging in such a dangerous exchange with Aldo, noting how close Zahabi came to potentially losing the fight based on that sequence.
Regarding the Zahabi fight, Bautista commented, “Zahabi, he won the fight and he shut him down as well and gassed him at the end, but he took a soccer kick to the face for his troubles. Credit to Zahabi, he took that shot and got back up and put it back on Aldo.”
“But you never know,” he added. “That ref could have jumped in as soon as that soccer kick came to the face, and he fell back like that and that would be the end of the fight and you lose that. It’s crazy.”
Bautista confirmed he holds no resentment towards Aldo for being upset about the fight`s conclusion, but he also made it clear he won`t apologize for doing whatever was necessary to win that night.
Despite the initial upset, Bautista has long since moved past the situation and believes that delivering a strong performance against Patchy Mix at UFC 316 will ultimately redefine the public narrative about him.
Looking ahead, Bautista remarked, “Years from now you’re going to go Tapology and scroll down and you’re going to see a green [mark for a win] and it’s going to say Jose Aldo. People are going to forget and that’s all that matters.”
He concluded, “I’m just excited to have this fight and get past all that. We’ll see. That’s part of the game. It’s something I get to deal with once you get to the top. You’re going to have moments like these. You never know what’s going to come your way and you’ve just got to deal with it.”
