Austin Bashi set for UFC debut against Christian Rodriguez
Austin Bashi isn’t getting a layup for his UFC debut.
One of the most highly-touted prospects from the most recent season of Dana White’s Contender Series, the 23-year-old Bashi (13-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will face Anthony Pettis protege Christian Rodriguez (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in a bantamweight bout Jan. 11 at a UFC Fight Night event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The UFC recently made the bout official after an initial report by Eurosport NL.
Both new and familiar faces will enter the Octagon at #UFCVegas101 pic.twitter.com/NVWYi3aUTD
— UFC (@ufc) November 26, 2024
Bashi turned heads during his time on the regional scene for his dominance against tough competition at a young age. After he declined multiple UFC opportunities, Bashi accepted a DWCS offer. Bashi dominated replacement Dorian Ramos en route to a second-round submission and UFC contract in September.
Rodriguez aims to bounce back from a submission loss to Julian Erosa in July. The defeat snapped a four-fight winning streak that included victories over Joshua Weems, Raul Rosas Jr., Cameron Saaiman, and Isaac Dulgarian.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Jan. 11 includes:
- Thiago Moises vs. Trey Ogden
- Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov
- Carlston Harris vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
- Austin Bashi vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Nicolle Caliari vs. Ernesta Kareckaite
- Uros Medic vs. Puna Soriano
- Andreas Gustafsson vs. Preston Parsons
- Felipe Bunes vs. Jose Johnson
- Cesar Almeida vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
- Nurullo Aliev vs. Yanal Ashmouz
- Victoria Dudakova vs. Fatima Kline
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event.