UFC newcomer Austin Bashi's key to success? Throw the hype out the window

LAS VEGAS – Austin Bashi has heard the media praise. He’s seen the fan reactions. He recognizes he’s a sizeable favorite as he enters his UFC debut.

Despite the elevated level of attention, Bashi (13-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) remains unfazed. That’s not to say he doesn’t think it’s deserved. His self-belief runs parallel to the hype he’s received. But it’s nothing new. He’s grown used to it.

“Something about me is that no matter what the media is saying, no matter how big someone is trying to hype me up, I think the reason I’m undefeated and I continue to keep beating these guys is because I throw all that out the window and I’m not thinking about any of that,” Bashi told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a UFC Fight Night 249 news conference Wednesday.

“… If you go look at my regional scene fights, you go see who I fought, I fought nothing but tough guys. Literally, since my debut, I’ve been thrown to the wolves. Here I am, 13 fights later, 13-0.”

That trend will continue Saturday at the UFC Apex when Bashi steps into the UFC cage for the first time against Christian Rodriguez (11-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), a fighter with perhaps more experience than a usual newcomer would get as an opponent.

Rodriguez was put into a similar position against a surging youngster Raul Rosas Jr. in 2023. That time, Rodriguez played spoiler, something Bashi doesn’t expect him to repeat here.

When we got this opponent, I was actually really happy. I remember on the regional scene this name came up and it never happened because I’m pretty sure he just got signed (to the UFC). Making my debut against him, I’m actually happy about it.

“A lot of people try to compare me to Raul,” Bashi said. “I’m nothing like him. I feel like my game is completely different. My I.Q., my pace, my cardio, my everything about me is different than Raul. I just feel like I’m a whole different fighter than him. … I see myself finishing him either via TKO or rear-naked choke at the end of the second or early third.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 249.