Mario Bautista is eager to face UFC veteran Jose Aldo at UFC 307, which will take place in Salt Lake City.
Bautista has been looking forward to a fight since his win over Ricky Simon in January. The fighter has been requesting a battle since then. Nine months later, the fighter has finally been given a worthy opponent.
“Honestly, I was kind of surprised, I know I was pushing for the Rob Font fight. It got to the point when I was like I’ll take anyone, even if they are outside the top 15,” Bautista said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I had no clue what the UFC was thinking. Once they gave me that name, I got pretty excited and happy. It was worth the wait… I never envisioned it, but growing up I did picture fighting these top guys.”
“Just being very mindful and going with people in practice who throw a lot of leg kicks and get them to throw even more,” Bautista said. “Just working it into my routine, my shadow boxing, my sparring, mentally and visually, just getting ready for it. We are on top of it… I have to keep a high pace. I know I have the gas tank, which will be a big thing in this fight. I’m going to make him fight.”
“It is going to be a high-paced fight. If we can get a finish, that would be nice, but I’ve never lost a decision, so if it goes to that, I see myself winning,” Bautista added.
“Hopefully it gives me his spot. But, it gets me in the top 10 and ready for a top-five opponent. It will bring more eyes, more attention, and add value to me. That will prepare me for the top five,” Bautista concluded.
Aldo, on the other hand, is fresh off retirement, but he believes the championship flame burns brighter and bigger inside him. The fighter is considered one of the biggest featherweight fighters in MMA, and many have asked why he would make a comeback.
“I train so much, you don’t understand,” Aldo told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “Every single up-and-comer, all the new kids there, they look at me like, ‘This dude has accomplished everything. He’s done everything, and he’s still giving his all, training like crazy.’ It is. It is another fighter that’s ignited. There’s a flame that’s burning brighter than before. That’s what it takes to be a champion.”
“Being the champion is being a champion,” Aldo said. “It’s a legacy. It’s being able to look back. That’s why I train so hard. That’s why I keep at it. And that’s the fire I want to show people. It’s the UFC testing me. They’re trying to see you prove yourself again and see if you really want it. How much do you want it? I want to be able to turn back and look back and say, ‘This is the legacy that I left.”
Aldo believes he hasn’t gotten to the level he hopes to accomplish, as he hasn’t gained the final level of greatness, which is a championship. The fighter believes the first step to proving himself and being title-shot worthy is winning his fight against Bautista.
“They’re asking me for proof,” Aldo said. “They’re asking me to prove myself. I know for them, they’re just putting them to see what’s going on. But I think for me, just like the last fight, I just want to prove how much I really want to come back. How much did I want that fight, right? So right now, I know for them, it’s a level. But for me, it’s another step toward an ultimate goal.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Mario coming up, if it’s a champion, if it’s somebody on top of the rankings, it doesn’t matter,” Aldo said. “It’s another step toward the one thing I want. It’s a title shot.”
