Mario Bautista boasts an impressive UFC record of 9-2, with his last loss being in 2021.
That being said, he is currently one of the most hated fighters in the UFC at the moment, and this started after his performance against fan favourite Jose Aldo at UFC 307.
Bautista came into the fight vs Aldo coming off a six-fight win streak and many fans believed the fight with Aldo would be electric.
This was not the case, however, the fight ended up being quite dull, with a lot of the fight being Bautista holding Aldo against the cage.
The fight ended up being a split-decision victory for Bautista, and that performance has resulted in him getting lots of hate online.
Mario Bautista tells UFC fans he does not fight to make them happy
Bautista has received a lot of criticism since his last fight, and it was questioned whether he would try and put on a show in his next outing.
During the UFC 316 media day, he was questioned about the hate he has received. Bautista said, “No, I’m not looking to go out there and change anything and make those fans happy.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really even matter. I’m on a seven-fight win streak. I’d understand if all seven of those fights were the same way. I would understand, but each fight is different. I can guarantee this fight will be a lot different.”
Bautista has a chance to change the narrative that he is a boring fighter, as he has a high-profile fight against Patchy Mix at UFC 316.
Bautista is not happy with this opponent Patchy Mix
Patchy Mix has come into the UFC 316 fight week very confident and has even admitted that he is looking through Bautista ahead of their fight.
Bautista finds Mix’s words comical and thinks that they will come back to haunt him after they fight each other.
Bautista added: “This whole week and the things he’s been saying have just been making me laugh.
He just kind of seems like an angry guy for some reason. He’s talking about submitting me and then submitting my 60-year-old coach. I highly doubt he could run through my whole crew. Some people in the gym would make him look like a purple belt, so I think he’s a little wrong there.”
Both fighters have had plenty to say about one another, and this will just add to the fans’ excitement.
The pair will both be looking to make a huge statement as they share the card with the bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley.
A statement win for either fighter could see them rewarded with a top 5 opponent next.