When Mario Bautista steps back into the octagon at UFC 316, it will have been eight months since his victory over Jose Aldo. He is more than ready to leave the controversy surrounding that fight behind him.
The fight itself was a tough, back-and-forth battle where Bautista earned a split-decision victory. However, the win was met with immediate criticism, with many arguing he didn`t deserve the nod and expressing anger over his strategy, which aimed to neutralize Aldo`s strengths. What should have been a moment of triumph became one where Bautista had to defend his performance. This whole situation was reignited when Aldo fought Aiemann Zahabi recently at UFC 315.
While the experience was frustrating, Bautista understands it stemmed more from Jose Aldo`s status as one of the most popular and beloved figures in the sport`s history than from anything he himself did.
“Everyone loves Jose Aldo and everyone wants to see the old Jose Aldo,” Bautista commented. “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.”
According to Bautista, one only needs to look at Aldo`s performance against Zahabi to understand why he had no intention of engaging in a reckless brawl or turning their bout into a three-round slugfest.
Although Zahabi survived intense pressure in the third round to secure a unanimous decision, Aldo unleashed a barrage of strikes that nearly ended the fight. Bautista sees this as clear evidence of the danger involved in trading blows with Aldo and why he avoided such exchanges. He notes that Zahabi was nearly finished and could have easily ended up with a loss based on how close it was.
“Aiemann Zahabi, he won the fight and he shut him down as well and gassed him at the end,” Bautista remarked. “But he took a 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. That ref could have jumped in as soon as that 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 holds no ill will towards Aldo for the post-fight reactions, but he firmly stands by his decision to do whatever was necessary to secure the win that night.
Despite the initial frustration, Bautista has long since moved past the incident. He knows a strong showing against Patchy Mix at UFC 316 will effectively shift the focus and change the public perception once again.
“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,” Bautista stated. “People are going to forget and that’s all that matters.
“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.”
