Two UFC bantamweights have their first fight of 2023 booked.
Mario Bautista will fight 42-year-old Guido Cannetti at a UFC Fight Night event, which takes place March 11 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Island first reported the bout Thursday.
Bautista (11-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) also had a stellar calendar year. He went undefeated at 3-0. Bautista outpointed Jay Perrin and then picked up first-round submission wins over Brian Kelleher and Benito Lopez.
Cannetti (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) had a very successful 2022. The Argentine went 2-0. He scored a first-round TKO of Kris Moutinho in March, and then a first-round submission of Randy Costa in October. The finish against Costa earned Cannetti a $50,000 performance bonus. Prior to the pair of wins, Cannetti was on a three-fight losing skid.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for March 11 includes:
- Abu Azaitar vs. Sedriques Dumas
- Lukasz Brzeski vs. Karl Williams
- Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti