Mario Bautista expects 'completely different fight' against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 329

Mario Bautista is preparing for a rematch with Cory Sandhagen at UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, more than seven years after their first encounter. Bautista lost that 2019 debut matchup via first-round armbar submission, but he believes the intervening years have transformed both fighters. "I feel from that point to this point, we've grown so much, both of us," Bautista said at media day. "I have gone through so much… So, I expect a completely different fight this time."

Bautista credits experience as the key difference heading into the rematch. Since their first meeting, both fighters have taken divergent paths. Sandhagen challenged for the bantamweight title against Merab Dvalishvili in October but fell short, while Bautista rebounded from a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov by defeating Vinicius Oliveira in February. The combination of added maturity, improved skills, and lessons learned in the intervening years has Bautista confident he will perform far differently the second time around.