Mario Bautista believes it’s ‘going to take everything I have’ to beat Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321

Mario Bautista knows he will have his hands full when he takes on Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321.

Bautista is set to take on Nurmagomedov on the main card on Saturday in a pivotal fight at bantamweight. After his win over Patchy Mix, Bautista called for a big fight, so he wasn’t surprised he got Nurmagomedov in a No. 1 contender fight.

“I was definitely hoping so,” Bautista said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I’ve made a few callouts on this win streak that I didn’t get. But it got to the point that you couldn’t really deny me anything. Everyone was also booked up, so Umar was the only one who made sense. It was also going to be the quickest way to the top.”

When the UFC was first trying to make the fight, it was supposed ot headline UFC Vancouver. But the bout got moved to UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi to add another high-profile fight on the pay-per-view card.

Although Bautista is going into enemy territory, he plans to win over the fans and also avoid getting the judges involved.

“Definitely, I was worried about it. I’ve heard a commission from here runs everything there,” Bautista said. “But it’s the crowd that you have to worry about. I’m not too worried about it, though. I’m looking to fight the best I can and win over these fans. If it goes the distance, I want it to be convincing, no ifs, ands, or buts about who won. I’m going out there to win, I’m going out there to finish, and that’s all I can do.”

Mario Bautista is confident heading into UFC 321

Despite Mario Bautista being the biggest underdog on UFC 321, he has full confidence in himself. Bautista believes he has all the tools to beat Nurmagomedov and can pull off the upset win.

“It’s going to take everything from my striking to my grappling, to clinch work. It’s going to be a fun fight, I’m really looking forward to it,” Bautista said.

If Bautista wins, he knows he will get the next title shot and expects it to happen sometime in early 2026.

“I would think so. That is up to them. When he wants to go, I’m going to have to be ready,” Bautista concluded.