This Saturday’s UFC Vegas 48 card has undergone a late change-up, as bantamweight Mario Bautista has a new opponent for the Fight Night card.
Originally scheduled to face Khalid Taha, Bautista (8-2) has now been paired up with promotional newcomer Jay Perrin (10-4). Iridium Sports Agency, who represent both Bautista and Perrin, was first to report the match-up.
“All the respect in the world for my opponent. But I’m nobody’s stepping stone. It’s not about getting to the UFC it’s about staying,” Perrin later wrote on social media. “Saturday I prove I belong.”
No reason for Taha’s withdrawal from the fight has been reported.
Perrin most recently competed last September, challenging for and winning the CES MMA bantamweight title against Josh Smith. The Massachusetts native, fighting out of New Hampshire, appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, only to lose a unanimous decision to Dwight Joseph. Perrin has won both his fights since.
Bautista had a two-fight win streak snapped when he was finished by Trevin Jones in March of last year. He has not fought since that loss.
UFC Vegas 48 (UFC Fight Night 201) takes place this Saturday, February 19, 2022 at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card currently shapes up as follows:
- Johnny Walker vs. Jamahal Hill
- Kyle Daukaus vs. Jamie Pickett
- Parker Porter vs. Alan Baudot
- Jim Miller vs. Nikolas Motta
- Joaquin Buckley vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
- Jonathan Pearce vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Gabriel Benítez vs. David Onama
- Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Stephanie Egger
- Chas Skelly vs. Mark Striegl
- Diana Belbiţă vs. Gloria de Paula
- Chad Anheliger vs. Jesse Strader
- Mario Bautista vs. Jay Perrin
