UFC finalizing Mario Bautista vs. Khalid Taha for February showdown

Two rising bantamweights are on a collision course for February.

At the UFC Fight Night event scheduled for Feb. 19, Mario Bautista and Khalid Taha have agreed to fight. Verbal agreements are in place and contracts are expected to follow in the coming days. The event does not currently have a finalized location or venue.

Two people with knowledge of the targeted booking informed MMA Junkie of the matchup Friday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Bautista (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) lost his promotional debut but made in impact in his sophomore bout when he defeated Jin Soo Son in a “Fight of the Night” bonus-earning performance. He followed it up with a flying knee knockout against Miles Johns, before he lost via TKO to Trevin Jones in his most recent outing in March.

Taha (13-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) won his promotional debut at UFC 236 with a 25-second knockout of Boston Salmon in April 2019. Since then, however, Taha has encountered difficulties as he’s lost back-to-back fights following a no contest against Bruno Silva.

With the addition, the Feb. 19 lineup includes:

• Kyle Daukaus vs. Julian Marquez
• Chad Anheliger vs. Jesse Strader
• Austin Lingo vs. Jonathan Pearce
• Chas Skelly vs. Mark Striegl
• Mario Bautista vs. Khalid Taha