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UFC 329 live blog: Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista 2

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1 month ago

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UFC 329 live blog: Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista 2

This is the UFC 329 live blog for Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista 2, the main card bantamweight bout Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In his most recent outing, Sandhagen (18-6) finally got his chance to compete for the UFC bantamweight title. Unfortunately for Sandhagen, he was outworked by then-champion Merab Dvalishvili, and now finds himself having to climb back up the stacked contender ladder. He has won four of his past six fights, with victories over ranked opponents Deiveson Figueiredo, Rob Font, Marlon Vera, and Song Yadong.

Bautista (17-3) is chasing his own championship dreams having won nine of his past 10 fights. His chances of a title shot took a hot with a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, but he rebounded with an impressive second-round submission of Vinicius Oliveira in a headlining spot this past February. He seeks revenge against Sandhagen after “The Sandman†defeated him by submission in his short-notice debut in 2019.

Check out the UFC 329 live blog for Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista 2 below.

Round 1: Herb Dean in the cage for this key bantamweight clash. Bautista fires away a head kick in the first seconds. Sandhagen circles around and catches a kick. Sandhagen lands a high kick and hurts Bautista. Bautista body locks and drags Sandhagen across the cage and next to the fence but Sandhagen denies the takedown. Sandhagen now has Bautista against the fence before they go back to the center and separate. Sandhagen switching stances non-stop and they exchange punches. Sandhagen with a right hand to the body, and Bautista with leg kicks. Head kick for Sandhagen. And one left hand to the head. Bautista misses two heavy punches but a third one connects, a left hook. And a right hand now. They land punches at the same time but Sandhagen hits harder. Good combination for Bautista before getting the takedown and taking Sandhagen's back, going for the kneebar, but round comes to and end. Close, fun round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Bautista.

Round 2: Sandhagen is limping as round two stars. Bautista's kneebar did some damage there, certainly. Sandhagen's key in round one was movement and he's not the same now. He still can land a one-two combo of punches, though. Bautista with a left leg kick, and they exchange punches now. Bautista being patient now and Sandhagen forced to slow down. Good left hand for Bautista now, who gets Sandhagen against the fence for a brief moment. Sandhagen denies him another takedown attempt. Sandhagen eye pokes Bautista but he opts to continue fighting. They clinch, and Sandhagen connects a left elbow. There's blood coming down over Bautista's right eye. Despite the injured leg, Sandhagen managed to land more significant strikes than Bautista in this round. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Sandhagen (19-19).

Round 3: Cornerman puts knee on Sandhagen's left knee but he tells them in between rounds he's good. Bautista hurts him early with a left hook! Sandhagen is down! Sandhagen attacks the leg and that slow down Bautista's ground and pound. They're back up now. Takedown for Bautista now, and he has Sandhagen's back. Sandhagen still manages to get back to his feet. Sandhagen chasing Bautista but misses all his punches. Bautista fires back. Bautista again with the takedown, but can't hold him down for long or do much with it. Bautista relentless with his wrestling. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 Bautista (29-28 Bautista).

Official result: Mario Bautista def. Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

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UFC Sacramento weigh-in video: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues

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6 hours ago

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August 21, 2026

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UFC Sacramento weigh-in video: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues

At the UFC Sacramento weigh-ins, all 26 fighters on Saturday's fight card step on the scale Friday in Sacramento, Calif. Watch UFC official weigh-in highlights above.

ceremonial weigh-ins above, set to kick off at 6 p.m. ET, with highlights of the morning weigh-ins available below.

In the main event, middleweight contenders Anthony Hernandez and Gregory Rodrigues face off. Both fighters can weigh no more than the 186-pound limit for their non-title fight.

Hernandez is currently tied with Caio Borralho for the No. 5 spot at middleweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings after seeing an eight-fight win streak snapped by Sean Strickland. Rodrigues sits at the edge of the rankings at No. 15.

In the co-main event, top-10 heavyweight Serghei Spivac fights Vitor Petrino. Neither fighter may weigh more than 266 pounds.

Official weigh-ins begin at 12 p.m. ET.

Ceremonial weigh-ins begin at 6 p.m. ET.

Check out the UFC Sacramento weigh-in results below.

Main Card (Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET)

Anthony Hernandez (186) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (185)

Serghei Spivac (257) vs. Vitor Petrino (246)

Reinier de Ridder (205) vs. Roman Dolidze (206)

MarQuel Mederos (156) vs. Mason Jones (156)

Carli Judice (125.5) vs. Jeisla Chaves (124.5)

Terrance Chatman (266) vs. Anthony Wint (231)

Preliminary Card (Paramount+ at 5 p.m. ET)

Jamall Emmers (143.5) vs. Lerryan Douglas (145.5)

Kennedy Nzechukwu (244) vs. Shamil Gaziev (261)

Chris Padilla (156) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (155.5)

Marcio Barbosa (145.5) vs. Ryan Kuse (144.5)

Gauge Young (155.5) vs. Stan Dorsainvil (155.5)

Wes Schultz (186) vs. Jackson McVey (185)

Shanelle Dyer (116) vs. Elise Reed (115)

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Alexander Volkanovski not thinking retirement, but would consider it if ‘things go terribly wrong’ against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333

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6 hours ago

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August 21, 2026

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Alexander Volkanovski not thinking retirement, but would consider it if ‘things go terribly wrong’ against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333

Alexander Volkanovski is one of the UFC's most enduring champions, but retirement talk is inescapable as he heads into his UFC 333 main event title defense against Movsar Evloev.

“The Great†headlines the Oct. 24 event in Abu Dhabi with his featherweight championship on the line. Volkanovski will be 38 by the time he makes his next walk to the octagon, and is currently in his second reign as 145-pound champion, having successfully defended it against Diego Lopes this past February. That marked Volkanovski's sixth championship defense overall.

He has long maintained his intention to compete as long as he's physically able and enjoying fighting, but admitted in an interview with Australia's 10 News that a bad night against Evloev could accelerate his retirement plans.

“If things go terribly wrong, alright, we're done,†Volkanovski said. “If things go very well, like the last one, no damage, go through, alright, we'll keep it rolling.â€

Volkanovski won 25 of his first 26 pro fights before venturing up to lightweight to challenge Islam Makhachev. He lost a pair of fights to the now-welterweight champion, a close decision at UFC 284 and then a knockout loss at UFC 294 in a rematch that Volkanovski took on 10 days' notice as a replacement for Charles Oliveira.

Ilia Topuria then knocked Volkanovski out at UFC 298 to claim the featherweight title—Volkanovski's first-ever loss competing at 145 pounds—but after Topuria exited the division to move up to lightweight, Volkanovski became champion again by claiming a vacant belt with a win over Lopes before defeating him again in a rematch.

That resilience has kept Volkanovski near the top of the pound-for-pound rankings, and if he gets past the undefeated Evloev or at least delivers another memorable performance on Oct. 24, don't expect Volkanovski to leave the business anytime soon.

“Taking each fight as it goes, just trying to be real with it,†Volkanovski said. “But I don't have plans on retiring right now.â€

As for what keeps bringing him back, Volkanovski mentioned enjoying training, competition, and one more key factor.

“Money's always good,†Volkanovski said with a laugh.

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Carlos Prates issues warning to Michael Morales: ‘I will knock you out really fast’ after winning UFC title

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8 hours ago

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August 21, 2026

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Carlos Prates issues warning to Michael Morales: ‘I will knock you out really fast’ after winning UFC title

Carlos Prates wants to be next in line against UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, and he's open to defending the title immediately after against undefeated 170-pound contender Michael Morales.

Makhachev said in the aftermath of his UFC 330 title defense over Ian Machado Garry, which went down this past weekend in Philadelphia, that maybe Prates and Morales should face off to determine the rightful contender.

The knockout artist has a different idea in mind, though. Speaking with Champions Collection, Prates was told that Morales said he was afraid to fight him.

“If the guy has two arms, two legs, one dick like me, bro, I can fight him,†Prates said. “He said I'm scared about him? I'm not scared to fight you. I'm No. 1 contender, so I wanna fight for the belt. UFC never offered the fight against you. If they offer me, of course I would knock you out really fast. First round, so don't worry. You're gonna fight and I'm gonna knock you out.â€

“But now wait, [I'll] get my belt and then we can fight. I'm never scared to fight you, bro. Don't worry.â€

Prates claimed that Morales replied to the video he sent him, saying he was “ready to fight†him. The Brazilian then issued him a final message in Spanish.

“After I get my belt, I'll knock you out,†Prates said.

Prates won three straight in the UFC with knockouts over Geoff Neal, Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena to maintain his 100 percent bonus rate in the company, while Morales won seven in a row under the UFC banner with his most recent ones being stoppages against Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.

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