Jose Aldo and Mario Bautista meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Check out this brief overview of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

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Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista UFC 307 preview

Aldo’s coming-out-of-retirement tour continues and the former featherweight king has his sights set on the bantamweight crown. But to qualify, Aldo (32-8 MMA, 14-7 UFC) will have to dispatch Bautista (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who is one spot behind him at No. 11 in the official UFC. rankings. … Aldo returned from a nearly two-year MMA hiatus last February with an outstanding performance in a unanimous decision win over Jonathan Martinez. … Bautista has been on a roll for the past two-plus years, winning six fights in a row. He scored a unanimous decision victory over Ricky Simon last January.

Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista UFC 307 expert pick, prediction

As an action-packed offering at bantamweight, there’s a fun fight between Aldo and Bautista.

Despite this being Aldo’s twentieth retirement, the former featherweight champion and pound-for-pound GOAT has looked incredible in this latest late-career renaissance.

Bautista, on the other hand, is an MMA Lab product that I and many others have been eyeing for a while. Although Bautista initially burst onto the scene as a flashy striker with a shifty stance, the longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt has found some success by incorporating more wrestling into his approach.

That said, with Aldo using his vaunted takedown defense to defeat current champion Merab Dvalishvili the last time he fought in Utah, it’s hard for me to doubt the Brazilian legend – even at this point in his career.

I won’t be shocked if Bautista can make a decision, but I will pick Aldo to find an empathetic counter that leads to a stoppage in Round 2.

Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista UFC 307 preview odds

The oddsmakers and the public slightly favor the American fighter, with Bautista -150 and Aldo +118 via FanDuel.

Jose Aldo vs. Mario Bautista UFC 307 start time, how to watch

During the featured fight, Aldo and Bautista are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 11:15 PM ET (9:15 PM local in Salt Lake City). The fight will be streamed on ESPN+.