When the UFC announced the matchups for UFC 316, fans lashed out at the head honcho Dana White. Why? Well, they didn’t like that Sean O’Malley is getting a title shot after losing his last, in the manner that he did. According to fans, ‘Suga’ Sean needs to earn his way back to the title through one win at least. Other than this small glitch, the overall card looks super stacked. One of the fights on the card that has fans excited is Marlon Vera vs. Mario Bautista. And ahead of the match, ‘Chito’ Vera made a bold statement.

Before we get to Vera’s statement, it’s important to note that he was already scheduled to fight Bautista on May 3, 2025, at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo. That bout would have taken place on a card that marks the UFC’s debut in Des Moines, and its return to the state of Iowa since 2000. However, for reasons unknown, the Vera-Bautista bout got pushed to UFC 316. Bigger card, bigger stakes? For both fighters—definitely. And in the spirit of fighting in a pay-per-view card, ‘Chito’ Vera seems locked in and ready to put on a show.

Taking to Instagram, the Ecuadorian mixed martial artist shared a cascade of images. The first picture showed a poster of UFC 316, featuring him and Bautista. The second picture had a quote by Rick Rubin, which read, “Follow your own excitement, not your audience’s.” And the last one shows ‘Chito’ inside the Octagon, celebrating his victory. In the caption, he wrote, “Back in action again. All the sacrifice will not be in vain 🤜🏾 🇪🇨.” 

Needless to say, UFC 316 is an important fight for Vera. He’s coming off of 2 back-to-back defeats—against Sean O’Malley and Deiveson Figueiredo. And both of these defeats came via unanimous decisions. On the other hand, Mario Bautista is coming into this fight with the surging momentum of a seven-fighting winning streak, having last defeated Jose Aldo and Ricky Simon in his last two.

And if you though Vera was the only one issuing statements, think again—the John Crouch-BJJ black belt picked out exactly what the shortcoming of Marlon Vera is. Let’s see what he had to say.

Mario Bautista puts Marlon Vera on alert before Dana White’s UFC 316

During a conversation with MMA Junkie Radio, Mario Bautista revealed that he had already met Marlon Vera in Boston. But while most MMA opponents engage in some sort of rivalry for whatever reason, nothing of the sort is going on between the American and the Ecuadorian bantamweights. There seems to be absolutely no animosity between them. 

And as far as the matchup is concerned, Bautista claims that ‘Chito’ hasn’t really change too much. He said, “I think he’ll try to fix some things to get to be where he wants to be, and to continue to do the things that win some fights—maybe working on wrestling defense, because that’s been his Achilles’ heel the past few fights. But I don’t see too much difference. I think once we start going, he’s going to fall back into his usual habits.”

The bout is indeed of utmost importance for either of the fighters. Vera currently stands in the 7th spot of the bantamweight rankings while Bautista is at #10. A win would definitely push them forward, closer to the bantamweight championship title. Nevertheless, we will  have to wait for June 7th to know the outcome of the bout. 

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What are your thoughts on the matchup between Marlon Vera and Mario Bautista? Who do you think would win? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.