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UFC Bantamweight

Cory Sandhagen VS Mario Bautista

T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.

Tale of the Tape

18-7-0 Record 18-3-0
34 Age 33
180 cm Height 175 cm
178 cm Reach 183 cm
switch Stance switch
61% Finish rate 56%
44% KO rate 17%
17% Sub rate 39%

Result Summary

Mario Bautista def. Cory Sandhagen Decision (unanimous) · R3 5:00

Mario Bautista defeated Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, 2026, with all three judges scoring the three-round bantamweight bout 29-28. Bautista's late first-round takedown led to a Suloev Stretch attempt and appeared to injure Sandhagen's leg, setting the tone for the rest of the fight. Bautista attacked the compromised leg with kicks throughout Round 2, and in Round 3 he dropped Sandhagen briefly with a left hook before closing out the frame with takedowns and ground pressure to sweep the judges' cards. The victory avenges Bautista's first-round submission loss to Sandhagen from their initial meeting in January 2019.

Fight Overview

Cory Sandhagen and Mario Bautista settle unfinished business from their 2019 meeting, where Sandhagen submitted Bautista in the first round, but both men have evolved dramatically since then into genuine contenders. Sandhagen enters off a title shot loss to Merab Dvalishvili while Bautista rides a wave of momentum that includes wins over Jose Aldo and Patchy Mix, making this rematch one of the most intriguing bantamweight bouts in recent memory.

Keys to Victory

Cory Sandhagen

  1. Keep the fight at range and use his unorthodox angles and spinning attacks to confuse Bautista's game plan.
  2. Threaten with the grappling that finished Bautista the first time to create hesitation and opening on the feet.
  3. Exploit his speed advantage with combination punching before Bautista can tie up or clinch.

Mario Bautista

  1. Pressure forward and use cage work to neutralize Sandhagen's distance management and lateral movement.
  2. Show improved submission defense by not overcommitting to takedowns or leaving limbs exposed.
  3. Land heavy combinations when Sandhagen attempts spinning techniques to punish him for the risk.

Last 5 fights

Cory Sandhagen

  1. L Merab Dvalishvili Decision · R5 5:00 · 4 OCT 2025
  2. W Deiveson Figueiredo TKO · R2 4:08 · 3 MAY 2025
  3. L Umar Nurmagomedov Decision · R5 5:00 · 3 AUG 2024
  4. W Rob Font Decision · R5 5:00 · 5 AUG 2023
  5. W Marlon Vera Decision · R5 5:00 · 25 MAR 2023

Mario Bautista

  1. W Vinicius Oliveira Submission · R2 4:46 · 7 FEB 2026
  2. L Umar Nurmagomedov Decision · R3 5:00 · 25 OCT 2025
  3. W Patchy Mix Decision · R3 5:00 · 7 JUN 2025
  4. W José Aldo Decision · R3 5:00 · 5 OCT 2024
  5. W Ricky Simón Decision · R3 5:00 · 13 JAN 2024

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AI-generated This analysis was generated with AI and may contain errors.

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