Mario Bautista avenges 2019 loss, batters Sandhagen's leg at UFC 329

Mario Bautista waited seven years for his rematch with Cory Sandhagen and made every minute count Saturday at UFC 329, battering the former title challenger's leg and scoring a knockdown en route to a unanimous decision win at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Bautista, who avenged the submission loss he suffered in his UFC debut back in 2019.

The fight turned early when Bautista nearly locked in a Suloev stretch late in the first round, leaving Sandhagen visibly limping between frames. As MMA Fighting's live blog detailed, Sandhagen's corner worked on the damaged knee before round two, but the leg remained compromised. "At the end of the round, I saw him walking to his corner limping," Bautista said afterward. "I'll always finish strong."

Knockdown seals third round for Bautista

Sandhagen landed a high kick early and hurt Bautista with a stiff punch in the opening frame, but Bautista weathered the storm and closed with his grappling attack. The second round saw Sandhagen land more strikes despite his mobility issues, opening a small cut over Bautista's right eye with an elbow in the clinch. Then came the final frame. Bautista cracked Sandhagen with a huge left hook that dumped him to the canvas, per MMA Fighting's Damon Martin. Sandhagen grabbed a leg to survive the follow-up and made it back to his feet, but Bautista controlled the rest of the round with multiple takedowns and smothering top pressure.

The win extends Bautista's streak to two and puts the No. 6 ranked bantamweight in line for a high-stakes matchup next. "I think I deserve that next shot at the title," he said. Sandhagen, ranked No. 5, had won four of his last six heading into the bout but now faces another climb after falling short in his title bid against Merab Dvalishvili earlier this year.

Bautista fights next when bantamweight champion Petr Yan returns later in 2026.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — UFC 329 results: Mario Bautista badly damages Cory Sandhagen’s leg, gets his revenge with unanimous decision win
• MMA Fighting — UFC 329 live blog: Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista 2