Mario Bautista
Active 2019–present · rated in 2 editions · peak overall 82.0
Scouting report
Mario Bautista was born and raised in Winnemucca, Nevada and began wrestling at 14. He later moved to Arizona, joined The MMA Lab in Scottsdale and trains under John Crouch, who awarded him a jiu-jitsu black belt. He was 6-0 at Tachi Palace Fights, Combate Americas, LFA and SMASH Global before the UFC. He lost his UFC debut to Cory Sandhagen by armbar on January 19, 2019, replacing the injured John Lineker, and has won 12 of his next 14, with three Performance of the Night awards.
Peak ratings
By edition
Mario Bautista: a Nevada wrestler who built a bantamweight ranking
He beat Son Jin-soo in a Fight of the Night on July 20, 2019 and Miles Johns by TKO in round two at UFC 247 in February 2020. Trevin Jones stopped him in March 2021. In 2022 and 2023 he beat Brian Kelleher, Benito Lopez and Guido Cannetti by submission, and Da'Mon Blackshear on a decision at UFC 292 after Cody Garbrandt withdrew. Jose Aldo lost a split decision to him at UFC 307, and Patchy Mix lost to him at UFC 316 in June 2025.
Bautista, attribute by attribute
Boxing. 83. Johns went down to TKO in round two, and Trevin Jones stopped Bautista in round two at UFC 259 as a replacement for Randy Costa.
Kickboxing. 82. Ricky Simon lost a unanimous decision to him at UFC Fight Night 234 in January 2024.
Wrestling. 84. He began wrestling at 14. Jose Aldo lost a split decision to him at UFC 307 in October 2024.
BJJ. 85. Kelleher tapped to a rear-naked choke in round one, Lopez to a reverse triangle armbar, and Cannetti to a rear-naked choke at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023.
Strength. 74. Vinicius Oliveira was choked at the end of round two at UFC Fight Night 266 in February 2026, a $100,000 Performance of the Night.
Durability. 84. Umar Nurmagomedov won a unanimous decision at UFC 321 in October 2025.
Cardio. 89, his best. He went the distance with Aldo, Mix and Cory Sandhagen in the 2026 rematch.
Fight IQ. 84. Opponents changed on him often: Lineker, Costa, Taha, Garbrandt and Vera were all replaced.
Cardio at 89 and a rematch win over Sandhagen
Sandhagen armbarred him on his debut, and Bautista beat him on a unanimous decision at UFC 329 in July 2026. In between he beat Aldo and Mix on the scorecards. His ranking reached number four in the division. For a draft, he is a bantamweight with a long run of solid results.
Strength at 74 and two stoppage losses early
He lost to Sandhagen by armbar in round one and to Jones by TKO in round two, both before 2022. Lopez missed weight at 138.5 pounds before their fight. A heavier hitter in the strength slot gives the build a finishing punch.
Keep exploring
Closest bantamweight profiles to Mario Bautista, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Raphael Assuncaobest bjj 88 · weakest strength 74
- Kyler Phillipsbest cardio 88 · weakest strength 74
- Jimmie Riverabest cardio 88 · weakest strength 76
- Ricky Simonbest cardio 90 · weakest kickboxing 76
- Bantamweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Protecting your streak: a guide that fits Mario Bautista's strongest attribute, Cardio.
Draft Mario Bautista into your build
Mario Bautista enters the pool on any spin landing on bantamweight between 2023 and present. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Mario Bautista is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Mario Bautista's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.