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Mario Bautista Bests José Aldo in Gritty Fight at UFC 307

Bautista moved closer to a bantamweight title shot with the biggest win of his career.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

The main card of UFC 307 featured a high-profile bantamweight tilt between top-ranked contender Mario Bautista and UFC Hall of Famer José Aldo.

Bautista Takes Split Decision Over Aldo

After ending his short-lived MMA retirement earlier this year when he defeated Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301, Aldo was given a huge chance to make another run towards the bantamweight title when he was booked to meet the #11-ranked Bautista.

UFC 307 Results: Alex Pereira vs. Rountree Live Highlights & Updates

The matchup was made even more notable by the fact that it was scheduled to take place in Salt Lake City, UT, which was the site of Aldo's last loss against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 that encouraged the Brazilian legend to walk away from the sport.

Bautista entered the night on an impressive six-fight win streak and closed as a slight favorite to defeat the former featherweight king, and he wasted no time before pressuring Aldo with a frantic pace in the fight's opening round.

Aldo found more success with his striking during the second frame but was still pressed to the cage for long stretches, and with the fight seemingly up for grabs heading into the third round Bautista stuck to his game plan and ultimately earned a split decision for his seventh win in a row.

Joaquin Buckley Sparks 'Wonderboy' With Comeback KO at UFC 307

The highly-anticipated bantamweight matchup immediately followed victories from Kayla Harrison and Roman Dolidze that kicked off the UFC 307 PPV, and the event was topped off by a pair of title fights with Raquel Pennington defending her women's bantamweight belt against Julianna Peña and Khalil Rountree Jr. challenging UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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