UFC Vegas 71 is a showcase of the bantamweight fighters, as there are 3 separate fights from the division on the main card. One is in the main event between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili. The other fight is taking place between Said Nurmagomedov and Jonathan Martinez. The final bantamweight fight on the main card will take place between Mario Bautista and Guido Cannetti.
Mario Bautista is in a good run of form coming into this fight. On top of a 3-fight winning streak, Bautista has 5 wins in his last 6 bouts. His wins came against the likes of Miles Johns, Brian Kelleher, and Benito Lopez. So he would love to keep the momentum going and take another big step towards breaking into the Top 15 of the division.
Bautista vs. Cannettipic.twitter.com/aOORtU6At0
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) March 10, 2023
Guido Cannetti, on the other hand, does not have the same kind of momentum behind him as his opponent does. In his last 6 fights, Guido has a record of 3 wins and 3 losses. All in all, Guido Cannetti has a record of 4 victories and 5 defeats inside the Octagon. So it is definitely the worst patch of form in his entire career. Fortunately for him, he managed to win both of his last two bouts against Kris Moutinho and Randy Costa respectively.
UFC Las Vegas: Mario Bautista vs Guido Cannetti, Stats
Stats | Mario Bautista | Guido Cannetti |
---|---|---|
Wins | 11 | 10 |
Losses | 2 | 7 |
Height | 1.75 cm | 1.68 m |
Division | Bantamweight | Bantamweight |
Reach | 175.3 cm | 172.7 cm |
Age | 29 | 43 |
Bautista vs Cannetti: Fight Breakdown
To have a better look at how the bout may go, let’s take a look at the stats of both fighters. Mario Bautista has 5 submissions and 3 KOs throughout his professional fighting career. With 4 submissions and knockouts each, Guido also has 8 finishes in his fighting career. So both fighters are very well rounded both on the feet and on the ground. So fans can expect to witness a decent bout on March 11.
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As per UFC stats, Mario Bautista lands 5.61 strikes per minute with a striking accuracy of 50%. But, with 54% striking defense, Mario also absorbs 3.92 strikes per minute as well. However, Bautista can easily escape absorbing any punishment with his good grappling stats. Mario has an average of landing 2.25 takedowns per fight. So his output can never come under question and the recent results reflect that.
Guido Cannetti does not have the same striking stats as Bautista. Cannetti absorbs 2.93 strikes while landing 3.58 strikes per minute. But similar to Bautista, he also secures more than 3 takedowns per fight. As a result, he is going to be extremely competitive on the ground. While he may not want to engage in striking a lot, Bautista certainly has the chops to more than hold his own in grappling.
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Although both fighters have decent finishing rates, it does seem like the bout will go the full distance. Both fighters have quite similar skill sets, which may nullify their offensive moves. But, with only 3 rounds in the fight, fans can expect to see a good 15-minute back-and-forth between the two. However, Bautista will be the favorite to win this weekend as he will take more confidence from his recent record heading into the contest.