And what a year it was for the Arizonan, who reeled off victories over Jay Perrin, Brian Kelleher and Lopez, putting him perilously close to the Top 15 at 135 pounds. And while he was a bit surprised to get Cannetti again, the veteran from Argentina has won two in a row, both ending in the first round, and he’s got every bit of Bautista’s attention.
Saturday’s Full Fight Card Breakdown
“I think I’ve always had the mentality that if I’m fighting, I’m going to train the same way,” Bautista said. “If I fought someone that was 0-4 or 20-0, I’m still going to train the same way and as hard as I can, because, for me, it’s not about the guy; I’m trying to beat myself in camp every day, beating the person I was yesterday. That’s my mentality. And I also have my coaches telling me how dangerous Guido can be. He throws hard leg kicks, and I think these guys like (Kris) Moutinho and (Randy) Costa really underestimated him and he got those first-round finishes, so the coaches are keeping that in my head. This guy is dangerous, he hits hard, and his best chance is to knock me out. So that’s what he’s going to try to do, I have to be ready for that intensity, and I know it’s going to be a tough first round. So I’m not looking past Cannetti at all. I’m taking him very seriously.”