Bautista vows 'completely different fight' as he seeks revenge on Sandhagen at UFC 329

Mario Bautista will get his shot at redemption against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 329 on Saturday, July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas — more than seven years after Sandhagen submitted him with a first-round armbar in Bautista’s UFC debut.

The 33-year-old bantamweight is adamant the rematch will bear little resemblance to that 2019 defeat. “I feel from that point to this point, we’ve grown so much, both of us,” Bautista said at UFC 329 media day. “I have gone through so much… So, I expect a completely different fight this time.”

Bautista points to experience as the defining factor separating the two versions of this matchup. In the years since that loss, he assembled an eight-fight win streak that included victories over notable names such as Jose Aldo and Patchy Mix. “Experience, as far as like, fighting big names,” he said when pressed on what has changed.

His momentum was briefly interrupted by a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, but Bautista responded by defeating Vinicius Oliveira in February 2025, re-establishing himself as a legitimate contender in the division.

Sandhagen arrives at the rematch carrying his own recent setback. The Colorado-based fighter fell short in a title challenge against Merab Dvalishvili in October of last year, leaving him similarly motivated to make a statement.

Both men have travelled considerably further in their careers since their first meeting, and Bautista is confident that journey shows. Whether the growth he describes translates into a different result on fight night remains the central question heading into one of the more compelling rematches on the UFC 329 card.