“I thought I was going to get top 15 after (Brian) Kelleher, you know, and then I get Benito (Lopez) and then I got Guido. I’m doing what I’m supposed to do finishing these guys in the first round,” Bautista told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I opened up my mouth finally, and I asked for a top 15. Most of those guys are matched up so if not the top 15 then Cody Garbrandt.”

As far as the Cannetti fight Bautista mentioned not trying to get tricked into a stand-up brawl with the Argentinian and stuck to his game plan instead.

“I wasn’t going to let my ego get the best of me, and risk getting knocked out like his last two opponents, or finished I should say. Touch, touch, go for that take down and start to put it on him (was the game plan),” he said.

Garbrandt, former bantamweight champion, is coming off a decision victory at UFC 285 about a week ago and is a target for fighters looking for a ranking.

“The name, former champion. I think he’s going a different direction than his fighting style. It showed against Trevin Jones. I think I could bring it back out of him and I think I can make it an exciting fight,” he said.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Mario Bautista above.

The post UFC Las Vegas: Mario Bautista Calls Out Cody Grabrandt, Top 15 Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Cannetti, an Argentinian, has also been able to put together a winning streak despite being forty-three years old in a division where aging reduces much-needed speed. As the biggest underdog on the card, Cannetti looked to pull off the upset against a fighter who many thought of as a potential future top-15 contender in Bautista, who was 5-2 in the UFC with three finishes in the promotion. Meanwhile, Cannetti came in with a 4-5 UFC record.

Both fighters came out southpaw and Bautista immediately pressed forward. Both also threw big, wild kicks to start. Mario then took Guido down with ease only 20 seconds in, landing in top half-guard. Bautista worked to pass to mount but Cannetti was not easy to blow through on the mat. He changed tactics and tried to get to side control. Guido managed to scramble to the feet and then trip Bautista himself, landing in top side control. However, Bautista wrestled up and slammed Cannetti to the mat. With a slick move he took the back and locked up the body triangle.

Bautista attacked the rear-naked choke on a standing Cannetti, who fought the hands and managed to clear the hooks. Then Bautista suddenly suplexed his foe, transitioned immediately to the back again, and locked up the rear-naked choke all in a split second. Cannetti had no chance, he was forced to tap after only a moment.

Bantamweights beware. #UFCLasVegas pic.twitter.com/ihZBsDe2Il

— UFC (@ufc) March 12, 2023

This quick, first round win was another impressive victory for Mario Bautista and surely will now earn him a top-15 or fringe ranked opponent in the stacked bantamweight division. The well-rounded mixed martial artist now has three first round finishes in a row and eyes are turning his way more and more every fight. In his post-fight interview he called for a top-15 fight, but said that if he does not get it he would like to fight former champion Cody Garbrandt, who just won last week at UFC 285.

Official Result: Mario Bautista def. Guido Cannetti by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:18

The post UFC Las Vegas: Mario Bautista Earns Third Straight First Round Sub, Beats Guido Cannetti, Calls Out Garbrandt appeared first on Cageside Press.

Argentina’s Cannetti is the oldest 135’er in the promotion at 42 years of age and was coming off of a quick TKO of Kris Moutinho earlier this year, finishing Moutinho two rounds faster than even ranked star Sean O’Malley did.

Meanwhile, the young, dynamic Randy Costa sits on a two fight losing streak against Tony Kelley and Adrian Yanez after a promising 2-1 start to his UFC career. Costa has displayed electric offensive capabilities but lackluster defense and cardio in this fight. After he took a year off it was interesting to see if he had fixed those issues and if he could beat the veteran Cannetti. Both men surely felt this was a must-win fight to keep their jobs as they currently have a losing record in the promotion.

Perhaps due to his age, Cannetti has finished as an underdog in all of his UFC fights, and that was no different here, but he would look to show the odds-makers the error of their ways once again.

When the fight began Costa got on the front foot to pressure Guido back to the cage but he was immediately dealing with continued round kicks from Cannetti that kept Randy from attacking with his characteristic aggression.

One of those kicks kicked out Costa’s back leg and allowed Cannetti to jump on on a takedown. He immediately locked up a rear-naked choke and even though he had no hooks in Randy Costa turtled up and was forced to tap after barely more than one minute of fight time. The tap came at 1:04 of the opening round.

At 42, Cannetti went first among the “old guys” on a night that also featured Franciso Trinaldo (44) and Aleksei Oleinik (45). If age has slowed Cannetti, he didn’t show it Saturday. Realistically, he didn’t have time to show it.

Official Result: Guido Cannetti def. Randy Costa by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:04

The post UFC Vegas 61: Oldest Bantamweight in UFC, Guido Cannetti Subs Randy Costa In Little Over a Minute appeared first on Cageside Press.

After turning pro in the winter of 2007, Cannetti has put together a long career full of ups and downs. Despite the rocky patches over the years, Cannetti feels like now, in his 40s, he’s starting to really put it all together.

“I came out strong. I believe I had the potential to be champion, but unfortunately things didn’t go my way early in my career,” he said through a translator. “But as time went on, I feel like I started getting the hang of it.”

Some of the reason he thinks things went awry early on was that he had issues with his preparation. Now that he’s squared that away, he thinks the best times are ahead of him.

“When I first stared, I really believed that I was over-training. I also believe my diet was not correct. I believe I wasn’t taking in enough,” Cannetti admitted. “After making some adjustments with a new trainer, with my new diet, I feel better than ever at 42.”

With all of that having been dealt with, and coming off a big win over Kris Moutinho, Cannetti is brimming with confidence. He heads into this weekend feeling like he can take out anyone – but especially having a key advantage over his next opponent.

“There’s a big difference between me and Randy [Costa],” he proclaims. “I don’t mind getting hit, while he does.”

In a fight that is promising fireworks, Cannetti feels that’ll be the big difference. You can see his bout with Randy Costa on the prelims of UFC Vegas 61 on ESPN+ this Saturday.

You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 22:37. 

The post UFC Vegas 61’s Guido Cannetti Feels Better Than Ever at 42 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Tabatha Ricci Interview (1:16)

Kicking off this week’s edition of TTP is an interview with “The Baby Shark” Tabatha Ricci. She had originally been getting ready for Cheyanne Vlismas at UFC Vegas 61, but a late change has left her with a new opponent. She’ll now face Jessica Penne. She chatted about that change and why she’s excited to face a former title challenger and what this could mean for her run up the division.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Vegas 61 (11:18)

After a down week, we know you’re all itching to get back to ‘Fights, Dogs, and Parlays’. The guys have been white hot with their underdog plays, but they’ve got plenty more from UFC Vegas 61 to look at as well. Among them is a strong take on the main event from this Saturday between Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan. They’ll also be looking at two of the other biggest fights on the main card, giving you what you need to know to be the smartest guy at the bar. Plus, as they always do, they got a easy plus-money parlay for you to get ready to cash. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Guido Cannetti Interview (22:37)

Closing out this week’s edition of TTP is an interview with the oldest active bantamweight in the UFC, Guido Cannetti. He takes to Gumby about what exactly keeps him ticking at forty-two years old. As a hot take, Cannetti actually thinks he’s better than he was at any point in his life and is ready to show that off. He’ll get a chance to do so at UFC Vegas 61 against striker Randy Costa – a matchup he loves. Plus, he shares why he’s doing his training camps back at home in Argentina now instead of at Team Alpha Male. Note: this interview is done in Spanish with an interpreter.

The post TTP Ep. 345 with Tabatha Ricci, Guido Cannetti, and UFC Vegas 61 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Randy Costa (6-3) will face Guido Cannetti (9-6) as part of the UFC’s upcoming October 1, 2022 event. Costa himself confirmed the booking on social media, following an initial report by ESPN Deportes.

“October 1st. Got some sh*t to prove. Let’s go,” Costa wrote. Cannetti also confirmed the match-up.

Costa may be extra motivated after dropping back-to-back fights to Adrian Yanez and Tony Kelley (who coincidentally will fight one another at the upcoming UFC Austin). The 27-year old from Taunton, Massachusetts broke into the UFC in 2019 after going 4-0 for regional promotion Cage Titans. Prior to his recent setbacks, Costa had captured two consecutive wins over Boston Salmon and Journey Newson.

Argentina’s Cannetti got back in the win column earlier this year with a TKO of Kris Moutinho. That snapped a three-fight skid that saw the 42-year old drop fights to Marlon Vera, Danaa Batgerel, and Mana Martinez.

Cannetti has been with the UFC since 2014, making his debut at UFC 180 in November that year. Overall, he’s posted a 3-5 record inside the octagon, after starting his career 6-1.

The UFC’s October 1, 2022 event does not yet have an official location, venue, or broadcast plan announced, but is expected to be a Fight Night card. The following match-ups have been reported thus far:

• Leah Letson vs. Chelsea Chandler
• Vinc Pichel vs. Jesse Ronson
• Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Tabatha Ricci
• Randy Costa vs. Guido Cannetti

The post Randy Costa vs. Guido Cannetti Booked for UFC’s October 1 Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

Cannetti (9-6) defeated Moutinho via TKO at 2:07 of the first round.

“My performance…all training camp feeling very good. Feeling happy and training in the gym with my friends and my brother training with me. (The whole time) think the win. This camp was perfect,” Cannetti said to the media at his post-fight scrum.

Cannetti clearly knew he would need a big performance to keep his roster spot and continue his quest for UFC gold, but he says he did not feel the pressure of the moment.

“No pressure. I’m feeling very good and I’m thinking all time (that I would) finish the fight. My last fight (I) win. The judges no good, but me feeling (I won) the fight. I changed training and feeling very good,” Cannetti said.

“No pressure, the pressure is with me. I need (to feel good) with me, no with the people.”

Cannetti said he needed to feel good with himself and did not care what others thought.

With a first round finish Cannetti felt fresher and ready to get back to action.

“I need (to) fight again. I think fast. I’m feeling very good now I need (time to) relax, vacation with the family.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 50 post-fight media scrum with Guido Cannetti above.

The post UFC Vegas 50: Guido Cannetti Felt No Pressure Going Into Mountinho Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

In his sophomore effort, the bantamweight was paired up with Guido Cannetti, who had dropped three straight fights dating back to 2018.

At 42, Cannetti was long in the tooth for a bantamweight, but came out firing kicks. Moutinho opted to walk him down, backing him into the fence. Moutinho pressed, and Cannetti fired a spinning back fist. For those who expected a quick start to Cannetti vs. Moutinho, they were not disappointed.

In the clinch, Cannetti connected with several knees to the body. Moutinho backpedalled, tagging the younger fighter several times. Cannetti closed the distance again, landing more knees, then chased Moutinho with left and right hooks flying. Far more punches were landing that not, and Moutinho not offering much in the way of intelligent defense. That was enough for the ref, who moved in to wave the fight off while Kris Moutinho was still standing.

HEAVY HITS TO END IT! 😤@NinjaCannetti wasted no time to get the finish!

[ #UFCVegas50 | Prelims are LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Ij8bwhQvjK

— UFC (@ufc) March 12, 2022

A disappointing result for Moutinho, who earned himself a lot of fans with his short-notice showing against Sean O’Malley. As for Cannetti, he snaps a three fight skid, likely saving his spot on the roster in the process.

Official Result: Guido Cannetti def. Kris Moutinho by TKO, Round 1, 2:07

The post UFC Vegas 50: Guido Cannetti Secures Standing TKO of Kris Moutinho appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA Argento was first to report the news that Moutinho will fight Guido Cannetti on March 12 at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event. Both fighters would later confirm the booking on social media.

Moutinho (9-5) was unsuccessful in his UFC debut when he took on Sean O’Malley on a week’s notice, losing via TKO in the last 30 seconds of the fight. However, he gained countless fans because of his toughness and willingness to walk O’Malley down. The loss snapped his two-fight win streak. Moutinho was supposed to return against Aaron Phillips in October but had to pull out of the fight.

Cannetti (8-6) will be in an absolute must-win scenario when he fights in March. His last win was against Diego Rivas in 2018, and he is currently on a three-fight skid. Most recently, he lost to Mana Martinez in August, but before that, he was finished by Danaa Batgerel at UFC 248 and then Marlon Vera in 2018.

The UFC’s March 12, 2022 event does not have an official location, venue, or broadcast plan announced. However, Thiago Santos and Magomed Ankalaev are expected to headline the event.

The Fight Night card currently breaks down as follows:

• Thiago Santos vs. Magomed Ankalaev
• Guido Cannetti vs. Kris Moutinho
• Trevin Jones vs. Javid Basharat

The post UFC: Kris Moutinho Returns on March 12, Will Fight Guido Cannetti appeared first on Cageside Press.

The backdrop of Mana Martinez’s UFC debut had shifted drastically from its original date just a week ago. Martinez had been booked opposite Jesse Strader, and later Trevin Jones, on August 21. But with the death of coach Saul Soliz from COVID-19, the newcomer’s UFC premiere took on a whole other meaning Saturday.

Against Martinez, who had missed weight for the bout — a more forgivable miss than most given the circumstances — was Guido Cannetti, looking to snap a two-fight skid.

Cannetti was the more effective fighter early landing five hard kicks to start the fight. Cannetti still was letting those leg kicks fly as Martinez was trying to find his range. Martinez did open up with a flurry of body shots and headshots as Cannetti covered up. Martinez went off on another flurry and took Cannetti down. Cannetti reversed Martinez quickly and they got back to the feet shortly after. More heavy leg kicks and body kicks from Cannetti in the final minute of the round.

Cannetti continues in round two to let his legs go just chopping away to the legs. Martinez himself was landing a lot of leg kicks and started to counter more off the kicks. Martinez throw a lot of body shots and using feints to find his openings. Cannetti started to back up more in the latter portion of the round. Martinez started to catch the kicks more and counter.

Shots are flying and shots are landing! 🤜 #UFCVegas35 pic.twitter.com/DTklJJEtyc

— UFC (@ufc) August 28, 2021

In the final round, Martinez started to press forward even more. When he was letting his hands go he had Cannetti curling up while combinations from Martinez were flowing. Cannetti was visibly exhausted midways in the final round. Martinez was not throwing as much as he should but was throwing in combinations while Cannetti was throwing one punch at a time. With a minute left, Martinez shot for a double leg and completed the takedown. He let Cannetti up at the bell but landed some good ground and pound prior to that.

Mana Martinez def. Guido Cannetti by Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

The post UFC Vegas 35 Results: Mana Martinez Wins Debut Split Decision Over Guido Cannetti appeared first on Cageside Press.