“I was happy I got the win,” said the classy Bautista. “The fans did not like it afterwards, for sure, and they were sending all their hate my way. But honestly, I just didn’t let it bother me. I went back to my own inner circle of people. People can say whatever they want, but, at the end of the day, it’s just about your family and all your close friends. Those are the ones that really matter and that was it. Just get ready for the next one and do it all over again.”
And after enjoying the holidays, it was back into the Arizona heat – both in and out of the gym – to prepare for Marlon Vera. But when Vera was forced out of the bout due to injury, in stepped former Bellator champ Mix, 20-1 and armed with the talent and confidence to make an immediate impact in the UFC.
Saturday’s Fight By Fight Preview
That’s where Bautista comes in as the man guarding the door, and while some might have gotten thrown off by a short notice foe who is both a world-class fighter and somewhat unknown to UFC fans, the Arizonan embraced the fight.
“Chito (Vera) got hurt and literally that day they (the UFC) were already working on finding a new opponent,” said Bautista. “And that same day, I saw on Instagram that Patchy was released from his contract and people were putting two and two together. I still didn’t know if it would be a match or not, though. I had had a feeling it might be, and then by the next day it was official. So I already had a new opponent within a day, basically, and I was excited for it. I was excited that I still got a good name, a well-respected fighter, someone with a good record and it just wasn’t going to be anyone outside the Top 15.”
