Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista Prediction

Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista face off in a Bantamweight bout at UFC 329. Similar to Connor and Max these two first have fought before in the past. The first matchup in 2019 ended by Cory submitting Mario in the first round. In more recent news, Cory is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili in the title fight back in October 2025. Cory was taken down 20 times in that fight, absolutely dominating Cory. On the other side of this bout Maria Bautista enters this fight after submitting Vinicius Oliveira in the second round. Mario is looking to strengthen his resume with a win on Saturday to earn himself a title shot. 

How Cory Sandhagen Can Win

Cory was absolutely dominated in his fight against Merab and there's just no way to sugar coast that. Merab land 20/39 takedown attempts which is just a crazy stat line. Their fight styles did favor Merab, but 20 takedowns still make you sick to look at. On Saturday Cory has a different matchup to look at with the mixed fighting style of Mario Bautista. Mario isn’t a heavy grappler but is definitely a threat on the ground. Cory is going to want to stay on his feet this fight, which means distance control is crucial for him. Quick combinations then creating distance on Mario will keep this fight on the feet giving Cory Sandhagen the upper hand.

How Mario Bautista Can Win

Mario Bautista is a switch stance fighter who is multi-dimensional on the canvas. He is a threat on his feet and can control the fight on the ground which he has proven with his four submission victories in the UFC. To start this fight Mario should set up take downs early and often, challenging Cory’s ground game. Even if those takedowns don’t amount to anything that opens up more looks for Mario in the later rounds if the fight stays up. Being creative throughout the fight and forcing Cory to adjust to different looks can only help Mario in this fight.

Prediction

This fight all depends on if Mario can take control and put this fight on the canvas. There’s no doubt in my mind Cory has been drilling takedown defense this entire camp refusing to have a repeat of his fight with Merab. However, Mario looked excellent in his last fight against Vincious Oliveira, handing him his first loss in the UFC. In my eyes Mario will be the better fighter on Saturday and that's why we are taking Mario Bautista ML, but for a safe bet I’d take Over 2.5 Rounds