Mario Bautista got his wish.
The bantamweight called out former champion Cody Garbrandt in March following his submission win over Guido Cannetti at UFC Fight Night 221. Fast-forward a little more than a month and the two now now targeted to fight at a UFC event on Aug. 19.
The news was confirmed by MMA Junkie with people with knowledge of the matchup following a Friday from MMA Fighting. The venue and location for the event has yet to be announced by the UFC.
Garbrandt (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) recently returned to competition after 15 months of inactivity. He defeated Trevin Jones in a unanimous decision at UFC 285 in March. The victory got Garbrandt back in the win column after back-to-back losses to Rob Font and Kai Kara-France. The 31-year-old currently is 2-5 in his seven most recent performances.
Bautista’s (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) win over Cannetti put him on a four-fight winning streak, which includes submission wins over Brian Kelleher and Benito Lopez. Bautista, 29, hasn’t lost since 2021 when he was stopped by Jones, Garbrandt’s last opponent.
