Mario Bautista secured a dominant victory over Vinicius Oliveira via rear-naked choke submission in the second round at UFC Vegas 113. The win marks a strong comeback for Bautista following his previous loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, with nine victories in his last ten UFC bouts. Positioned outside the top 5, this performance brings him closer to breaking into the division's elite rankings and guarantees a more significant matchup in his next fight. Bautista is positioning himself as a legitimate contender against the division's best competitors.
Mario Bautista returned to winning form at UFC Vegas 113 on February 8, submitting Vinicius Oliveira with a rear-naked choke in the second round to strengthen his case as a legitimate bantamweight contender.
Bautista, 33, improves to 17-3 and now holds nine victories in his last ten UFC appearances. The American fighter out of MMA Lab carries a well-rounded game, averaging 5.3 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy while also generating 1.91 takedowns per 15 minutes — one of the stronger grappling rates in the division. Ranked tenth at bantamweight, he is positioning himself for a push into the top five following a setback in his previous outing against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Oliveira, known as "LokDog," drops to 24-4 with the loss. The 30-year-old Brazilian out of Sombra Team entered the fight ranked twelfth in the division and had shown real offensive output, averaging 5.44 significant strikes per minute with 47 percent accuracy and 1.27 takedowns per 15 minutes. Oliveira's submission threat is relatively limited at 0.2 attempts per 15 minutes, a contrast to Bautista's 0.8, which ultimately proved telling in the finish.
Why it matters
- Bautista's win vaults him closer to the top-five threshold in a crowded and competitive bantamweight division.
- Both fighters operate out of a switch stance and share near-identical physical dimensions — 175 cm tall with comparable reach — making the grappling edge Bautista demonstrated all the more significant.
- A victory of this nature, built on consistent UFC output and a submission finish, strengthens his claim to a higher-profile opponent in his next assignment.
- Oliveira, still just 30 and ranked twelfth, will need a bounce-back performance to maintain his divisional standing.
