The UFC returned to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday for a solid UFC Vegas 113 card. In the main event, a pivotal bantamweight bout went down as Mario Bautista took on Vinicius Oliveira.
Entering the bout, Bautista was coming off a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov and was taking on Oliveira, who was undefeated in the UFC.
Ultimately, it was Bautista who won by second-round submission as he dominated Oliveira to get back to the win column in a big way. Following UFC Vegas 113, here is what I think should be next for the bantamweight contenders.
Mario Bautista
Mario Bautista was fighting down in the rankings after he had lost to Nurmagomedov. Heading into this fight, Bautista had plenty of confidence he would be able to get back on track, and that is what he did.
Bautista dominated Oliveira en route to a submission win in the second round to return to the win column. Bautista called out Cory Sandhagen for a rematch, as his UFC debut was against Sandhagen, where he took it on short notice and lost by submission. Not many people are calling to fight Sandhagen, and if Sean O’Malley does get the title shot, this fight makes a lot of sense.
Bautista vs. Sandhagen would be a Fight Night main event or a pivotal fight on a pay-per-view. Regardless, Bautista vs. Sandhagen 2 is the fight to make.
Vinicius Oliveira
Vinicius Oliveira had a chance to become a true title contender at bantamweight, but he fell short against Bautista. Oliveira had a questionable game plan as he tried to grapple with Bautista, and it didn’t work out.
The loss at UFC Vegas 113 will be a good learning experience for Oliveira. The Brazilian had an injury going into the fight, so he will need some time off to recover. But when he does return, he should get a top-15 opponent next. A logical next opponent is to face the loser of Rob Font vs. Raul Rosas Jr, which takes place next month.
Who do you think Mario Bautista and Vinicius Oliveira should fight next after UFC Vegas 113? Let us know in the comment section, PENN Nation!
