Bautista ekes out split decision over UFC legend Aldo

Mario Bautista earned the biggest win of his career Saturday, defeating UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) in a bantamweight bout at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

Several fighters and pundits disagreed with the result, including former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor, who called it a "bullshit decision" on X.

Aldo edged Bautista 51-49 in significant strikes and stopped all 10 of his opponent's takedown attempts.

Bautista outworked Aldo in the first round, mixing up his arsenal on the feet by landing punches and kicks and also pushing the Brazilian up against the fence.

Aldo turned things up a notch in the second, landing several jabs, opening up a cut around Bautista's eye, and cracking him with a heavy knee.

In the third round, Bautista pushed Aldo up against the fence for long stretches but couldn't get him to the ground and didn't do much damage.

Bautista entered Saturday's matchup as the No. 11-ranked bantamweight and is now riding a seven-fight winning streak. The 31-year-old has long been a top up-and-comer in the bantamweight division but had never beaten someone of Aldo's caliber. Bautista, who fights out of Arizona, is unbeaten since 2021.

Aldo, ranked No. 10 in the division coming in, is now 1-1 since ending his MMA retirement earlier this year. The former featherweight champion defeated Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301 in May. Aldo is widely considered one of the greatest fighters in MMA history.