UFC 329 live blog: Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista 2

This is the UFC 329 live blog for Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista 2, the main card bantamweight bout Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Sandhagen is currently No. 5 at 135 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, with Bautista one spot behind at No. 6.

In his most recent outing, Sandhagen (18-6) finally got his chance to compete for the UFC bantamweight title. Unfortunately for Sandhagen, he was outworked by then-champion Merab Dvalishvili, and now finds himself having to climb back up the stacked contender ladder. He has won four of his past six fights, with victories over ranked opponents Deiveson Figueiredo, Rob Font, Marlon Vera, and Song Yadong.

Bautista (17-3) is chasing his own championship dreams having won nine of his past 10 fights. His chances of a title shot took a hot with a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, but he rebounded with an impressive second-round submission of Vinicius Oliveira in a headlining spot this past February. He seeks revenge against Sandhagen after “The Sandman” defeated him by submission in his short-notice debut in 2019.

Check out the UFC 329 live blog for Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista 2 below.

Round 1: Herb Dean in the cage for this key bantamweight clash. Bautista fires away a head kick in the first seconds. Sandhagen circles around and catches a kick. Sandhagen lands a high kick and hurts Bautista. Bautista body locks and drags Sandhagen across the cage and next to the fence but Sandhagen denies the takedown. Sandhagen now has Bautista against the fence before they go back to the center and separate. Sandhagen switching stances non-stop and they exchange punches. Sandhagen with a right hand to the body, and Bautista with leg kicks. Head kick for Sandhagen. And one left hand to the head. Bautista misses two heavy punches but a third one connects, a left hook. And a right hand now. They land punches at the same time but Sandhagen hits harder. Good combination for Bautista before getting the takedown and taking Sandhagen’s back, going for the kneebar, but round comes to and end. Close, fun round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Bautista.

Round 2: Sandhagen is limping as round two stars. Bautista’s kneebar did some damage there, certainly. Sandhagen’s key in round one was movement and he’s not the same now. He still can land a one-two combo of punches, though. Bautista with a left leg kick, and they exchange punches now. Bautista being patient now and Sandhagen forced to slow down. Good left hand for Bautista now, who gets Sandhagen against the fence for a brief moment. Sandhagen denies him another takedown attempt. Sandhagen eye pokes Bautista but he opts to continue fighting. They clinch, and Sandhagen connects a left elbow. There’s blood coming down over Bautista’s right eye. Despite the injured leg, Sandhagen managed to land more significant strikes than Bautista in this round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Sandhagen (19-19).

Round 3: Cornerman puts knee on Sandhagen’s left knee but he tells them in between rounds he’s good. Bautista hurts him early with a left hook! Sandhagen is down! Sandhagen attacks the leg and that slow down Bautista’s ground and pound. They’re back up now. Takedown for Bautista now, and he has Sandhagen’s back. Sandhagen still manages to get back to his feet. Sandhagen chasing Bautista but misses all his punches. Bautista fires back. Bautista again with the takedown, but can’t hold him down for long or do much with it. Bautista relentless with his wrestling. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Bautista (29-28 Bautista).

Official result: Mario Bautista def. Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)