Mario Bautista hunting finish against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 329

Mario Bautista plans to take Cory Sandhagen to the mat early and often when they meet at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Bautista told Home of Fight he's targeting a definitive finish against Sandhagen, viewing the matchup as a wrestling mismatch in his favor. "I'm gonna be hunting that finish," he said, per the outlet. "I think it's obvious where he's not really the best, which is on the mat. So I'm gonna be hunting for that finish. Pushing hard."

Why Bautista won't settle for decision against Sandhagen

The 31-year-old doesn't want a repeat of his last outing, a decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov that snapped an eight-fight winning streak. With only three rounds to work, Bautista said he'll press the action immediately to prevent Sandhagen from using movement to steal rounds on the cards. He rebounded from the Nurmagomedov setback with a submission of Vinicius Oliveira in February.

Sandhagen enters the bout 1-2 in his last three, most recently dropping a title challenge to Merab Dvalishvili. The former title challenger holds an 18-6 record but has struggled with wrestlers capable of controlling him on the mat.

UFC 329 airs July 11 from Las Vegas with the bantamweight bout expected on the main card.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Mario Bautista explains why he is hunting finish against Cory Sandhagen