UFC Fight Night: Mario Bautista vs Vinicius Oliveira Preview & Prediction
Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!
Bantamweight dark horse contenders throw down in the main event, with Mario Bautista looking to rebound against the surging Vinicius Oliveira.
Mario Bautista vs Vinicius Oliveira facts
What time are Mario Bautista and Vinicius Oliveira expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira? Meta Apex, Enterprise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Not televised
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira main card
Mario Bautista vs Vinicius Oliveira (Bantamweight)
Amir Albazi vs Kyoji Horiguchi (Flyweight)
Jailton Almeida vs Rizvan Kuniev (Heavyweight)
Michał Oleksiejczuk vs Marc-Andre Barriault (Middleweight)
Jean Matsumoto vs Farid Basharat (Bantamweight)
Dustin Jacoby vs Julius Walker (Light Heavyweight)
UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira prelims
Alex Morono vs Daniil Donchenko (Welterweight)
Bruna Brasil vs Ketlen Souza (Women’s Strawweight)
Said Nurmagomedov vs Javid Basharat (Bantamweight)
Wang Cong vs Eduarda Moura (Women’s Flyweight)
Muin Gafurov vs Jakub Wiklacz (Bantamweight)
Klaudia Syguła vs Priscila Cachoeira (Women’s Bantamweight)
Nikolay Veretennikov vs Jose Henrique Souza (Middleweight)
Mario Bautista: The MMA Lab standout returns following his first defeat in nearly five years
While several fans have yet to forgive him for holding Jose Aldo against the cage for three rounds back at UFC 307, there’s no denying that Mario Bautista (16-3) is one of the more talented operators at 135 pounds. A slick striker with an underrated ground game, the 32 year old American was riding the third longest win streak in bantamweight history prior to running into Umar Nurmagomedov last time out, eight successive wins that had him knocking on the door of a title shot. While Bautista came up short against the Dagestani phenom by unanimous decision, he still had his moments in that bout, nearly catching Umar with a shocking toehold submission and dropping him with a kick in the second round. As such, while he may be coming off a loss, Bautista’s stock is arguably as high as it has ever been.
Vinicius Oliveira: "Lok Dog" looks to insert his name into legitimate contention at 135 pounds
Punching his ticket to the UFC with a brutal stoppage over Victor Madrigal on the Contender Series, Vinicius Oliveira (23-3) announced himself on MMA’s biggest stage with one of the most spectacular knockouts of 2024, flatlining Bernardo Sopaj with a monstrous flying knee in a debut that earned him POTN and FOTN bonuses. A veteran of Future FC and UAE Warriors, “Lok Dog” is a kill or be killed finisher; he has double digit KO victories but has also been knocked out brutally in all three of his losses. While the 30 year old Brazilian has yet to score another finish in the promotion since sending Sopaj to the shadow realm, he’s had an excellent run of form to date, scoring decision victories over Ricky Simon, Said Nurmagomedov, and Kyler Phillips to push his promotional record to 4-0 in just under two years.
Mario Bautista vs Vinicius Oliveira prediction
As exciting a prospect that bantamweight has to offer, Oliveira is a monstrous finisher. If the Brazilian smells blood in the water, he will relentlessly pour on the damage in search of a stoppage; one that he typically finds in harrowingly violent fashion.
However, while Bautista is more of a decision fighter, he still looks to be the favorite here. The American might not have “Lok Dog’s” preternatural finishing instincts or ability, but he’s still one of the most well-rounded contenders at 135 pounds. Outside of a shocking upset TKO loss to Trevin Jones back in 2021, he’s only ever lost to the most elite contenders at bantamweight; there’s no shame in losing to Cory Sandhagen or the aforementioned Umar Nurmagomedov.
While Oliveira has been extremely impressive in his UFC run to date, he hasn't unequivocally proved that he belongs at the top of the division. He’s clearly a Top 10 level talent based on his last few performances, but whether he possesses the tool bag to overcome a competitor with Bautista’s experience and well rounded skillset has yet to be seen.
The first five round showcase for both men is is likely to go one of two ways; Bautista mixes the martial arts better to earn the unanimous decision or gets poleaxed with something murderous from the Brazilian in attempting to do so. This could well be “Lok Dog’s” coming out party, but the pick is Bautista by unanimous decision.
Prediction: Mario Bautista to win by decision
