China? Hard pass.
Mario Bautista scored a big win at UFC Vegas 113 last night (Sat., Feb. 7, 2026), submitting surging Brazilian prospect Vinicius Oliveira in the second round to earn his first-ever UFC main event victory inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada (watch highlights).
With the spotlight on him, Bautista already had his next move in mind — and it wasn’t traveling overseas.
During his in-cage post-fight interview, Bautista made it clear he wants a rematch with Cory Sandhagen, the man who handed him a loss in his UFC debut back in 2019.
Just minutes later, however, fellow Bantamweight contender Song Yadong took to social media to shoot his shot, publicly challenging Bautista to headline UFC Macau on May 30.
“@Bautista_mma congratulations. Enjoy the victory tonight,” Song wrote. “How about some kungpao chicken in Macau next?”
Bautista wasn’t interested.
“Song Yadong? Nah, I want to fight Sandhagen,” Bautista said at the UFC Vegas 113 post-fight press conference. “Song Yadong can sit on that loss for a little bit.”
The loss Bautista referenced was Song’s recent defeat to Sean O’Malley at UFC 324 last month.
While Bautista’s desire to run things back with Sandhagen is understandable, the matchup may not materialize anytime soon. Sandhagen is eyeing a fight with either O’Malley or Aiemann Zahabi, leaving Bautista with limited options near the top of the division.
From a rankings perspective, Song would make the most sense. He currently sits at No. 6, and a win over him would propel Bautista further up the Bantamweight ladder.
Nevertheless, Bautista has momentum again after rebounding from his loss to Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321. Prior to that setback, he rattled off eight straight wins, including victories over Patchy Mix, Jose Aldo, and Ricky Simon.
So, should Bautista take a trip to China for his next fight?
