Mario Bautista Vs. Vinicius Oliveira Preview

Originally posted on BoxingNews.com | Last updated Feb 3, 2026 3:17 AM ET

Mario Bautista faces Vinicius Oliveira in a bantamweight clash on February 7, as we preview this upcoming fight.

Bautista enters the Octagon with a unanimous decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov. While the defeat ended an eight-fight win streak, Bautista’s stock remained high due to his performance. Before the loss to Nurmagomedov, Bautista secured a string of victories over big names, including Jose Aldo, Patchy Mix, and Ricky Simon. Meanwhile, Oliveira is riding a five-fight winning streak, the latest of which was a win over Kyler Phillips at UFC 318. A win over Bautista would likely catapult him into the top five.

Pre-Fight

“[Umar] looked good. He felt strong. Being in there, I felt like if I made some adjustments, I think I could definitely beat him. Nothing like crazy special. I know I could hang in there with him all those three rounds and defend everything. It’s just a matter of winning positions. “If people think he’s one of the best grapplers or the best grappler behind Merab [Dvalishvili], I definitely felt it gave me like this is something to shoot for. It feels so close. I just need to make some adjustments going into the next one. That’s pretty much it,” Bautista said

The Approach

Bautista’s tactical approach is built on high volume and a relentless pace. Against Jose Aldo, Bautista demonstrated a willingness to prioritize position over damage. If Oliveira starts finding his rhythm on the feet, expect Bautista to initiate the clinch immediately, using his head to pin Oliveira against the fence. Bautista’s level changes when his opponents overextend. A prime example was his fight against Ricky Simón, where he used counters to force Simón into desperate shots.

Oliveira thrives when there is space to explode. In his debut against Bernardo Sopaj, he was arguably losing until he landed a flying knee in the third round. He will likely look to bait Bautista into a firefight, hoping the American’s high-volume approach leaves an opening for a counter. He uses high kicks and long-range knees to keep grapplers at bay.