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Mateusz Gamrot is unquestionably one of the best lightweights in the world, but the 33-year-old Polish fighter also understands that his approach doesn’t necessarily do him any favors when it comes to continuing to ascend the 155-pound ranks.
“If you finish guys, you give good, entertaining fights, you jump very fast,” Gamrot begins from his hotel room in Perth, just a few days ahead of his return to action against Dan Hooker on the UFC 305 pay-per-view main card. “But, MMA is a sport and I am a sportsman.
“For me, the most important is to win — a win is a win — and then I climb to the top.”
Winning is something Gamrot has done a lot of the course of his career.
He touched down in the UFC with a 17-0 record with one no contest after winning both the featherweight and lightweight titles in KSW. After dropping a split decision to Guram Kutateladze in his promotional debut, Gamrot rattled off four straight wins, finishing Scott Hotlzman, Jeremy Stephens, and Diego Ferreira before getting the better of current No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan in an ultra-competitive, wildly entertaining fight.
A loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 280 paused his momentum, but since then, “Gamer” has gotten right back to his winning ways, edging out Jalin Turner before collecting an injury-induced TKO win over Rafael Fiziev and a unanimous decision victory over Rafael Dos Anjos last time out to arrive in Australia with a 24-2 mark, plus that one no contest.
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But despite some of the quality wins he’s posted, Gamrot has remained the odd man out during lightweight title conversations, with his wrestling-heavy style likely a contributing factor.
“Of course, I love to finish guys in the fight,” he says with a laugh. “But sometimes it’s difficult. Sometimes it’s bad and you can’t do this.”
Full Fight | Mateusz Gamrot vs Arman Tsarukyan
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Full Fight | Mateusz Gamrot vs Arman Tsarukyan
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He explains that his intention was to stand and trade with Dos Anjos when the two clashed at UFC 299 in March, but after getting rocked early in the fight, he was forced to change his approach, prioritizing a victory over getting into a brawl that may have saddled him with a loss.
At the same time, he understands that if he wants to start being included in those title conversations, dynamic efforts are a must.
“My plan was much different,” he says of the fight with the former lightweight champion in Miami, where he lost the opening round, but leaned on his wrestling to grind out a decision win, with scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27 once to extend his winning streak to three. “I stepped to the cage, I fight with him, I get the knee and the uppercut, and (pantomimes confusion) ’Where I am? Where I am?’
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“I needed to wake up, find my situation, and then I talked to myself, ‘Okay, change game plan; now wrestling’ because I know I have super-high-level wrestling and I know I can beat everybody only with my wrestling.
“But I know that if I want to fight in the future for the belt or interim belt, I need to give more entertaining fights, finish guys.”
That’s part of the reason he’s so fired up to be in Australia and a couple days away from sharing the Octagon with Hooker.
There might not be a fighter on the UFC roster that is less capable of being in an uneventful fight than Hooker, who operates with a pathological drive to deliver excitement, regardless of the cost.
Through his first 21 appearances inside the Octagon, there isn’t one that sticks out for being mundane or even routine, as his aggressive style means that win or lose, there is going to be a great deal of action. More often than not, there is blood, too, or broken bones, which the City Kickboxing man is quick to dismiss as “just a scratch,” as he did following his UFC 290 win over Turner, where he suffered a broken forearm early and battled through to still claim a split decision victory.
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His all-action style, previous epic clashes, and standing as the longest tenured ANZAC fighter on the UFC roster have elevated Hooker to superstar status at home — and a favorite amongst diehards, as well — and Gamrot feels that mixing it up with “The Hangman” offers a good opportunity to deliver the kind of exciting performance that will elevate his profile in the talent-rich lightweight ranks.
“I am really excited to fight with Dan Hooker,” begins the Polish veteran, who didn’t make his traditional trek to American Top Team for this training camp, opting to stay home in Poland, working at his gym, Czerwony Smok (Red Dragon), instead. “He’s not from here — from New Zealand — but really close to Australia, so he’s a local hero here.
Mateusz Gamrot Fight Week Interview | UFC 305
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Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
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Mateusz Gamrot Fight Week Interview | UFC 305
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“He’s a huge name in the UFC, he fought with really good names and is a dangerous striker, so if I pass him this Saturday, I think I will have a good position to talk more, get something Top 5 or maybe get something higher.
“I’m coming Australia to ruin the show!” adds Gamrot, laughing, the excitement radiating through his body and smile. “This is a great opportunity for me. I’m grateful that the UFC gives me this. I heard from Hooker that the crowd in Australia is amazing, so I’m counting on this atmosphere here.
“I can’t wait to meet the guy in the cage.”
While he didn’t venture to South Florida this time around, Gamrot did make a trip to the elite gym earlier this year to be a part of Dustin Poirier’s training camp ahead of his UFC 302 title fight with Islam Makhachev.
Asking Gamrot about the impact of training with “The Diamond” and what it means to be called upon to help him prepare for such an important moment in his career, the talented lightweight can only shake his head to start, words unable to fully explain just what those moments mean to him.
“Every single minute with Dustin on the mats was amazing; I learn a lot from him. Dustin is one of the best in the lightweight division — his mentality, his style; his level is super-amazing and I’m glad I have a relationship with him and I can train with him.
“I train a lot and I’m glad I spent the full camp with him before he fought Islam. This was an unbelievable time, and I’m looking forward to working with him again in the future. This time, we couldn’t train together because he was in the U.S.A. and I was in Poland, but for sure, this year, I wanna come back to ATT and train more with him.”
But it’s not just Poirier whose praises Gamrot is quick to sing either.
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“Every fighter from ATT is amazing and gives you something special,” he continues, rattling off a host of talented lightweights that have helped him along the way. “Dustin — high-level boxer and high-level mentality. Grant Dawson — super-high-level wrestling. (Renato) Moicano — high-level jiu jitsu.”
When I joke that Moicano also brings high-level trash talk and post-fight interviews to the table, Gamrot admits that too is something he could stand to learn from his Brazilian teammate.
“I need to learn some of this and then I know my position will go up,” he laughs. “Before Saturday, I’ll text message Moicano: ‘Give me tips on what to say! Tell me what I need to say!’”
Whether he actually consults “Money Moicano” prior to stepping into the Octagon with Hooker or not, the fifth-ranked lightweight definitely wants to use this opportunity to put himself out there and get himself into the championship mix.
His resume and record speak for themselves, but he wants his performances to speak volumes, as well, and he might add a little something of his own on the mic if the opportunity presents itself this weekend.
Ever the sportsman, winning remains the most important thing, but Gamrot is hungry to start fighting forward in the division again, and believes a strong showing at UFC 305 will make that happen for him in the future.
“The first thing I’m thinking about is Dan Hooker on Saturday night, but, of course, I have some things in my head,” he says with a wry smile. “First thing is a good performance. If the fight will be a great show, entertaining fight or I finish him, 100 percent I deserve someone in the Top 5. If nobody will be available to fight or the champ can’t fight this year, 100 percent I will be ready to fight with Arman — I already beat him; his style is great for me and I can fight with him again.
“But I don’t want to think too much in the future because then you can,” adds Gamrot, acting out falling flat on his face, lifting his head to reveal his smile has grown even wider. “When I watch Dan Hooker fight, my heart starts beating faster, but it’s positive vibes, extra energy.
“I feel everywhere in my body that this is gonna be a great show, for sure.”
He’s even looking back on a previous morning performance as the basis for how he sees things playing out when he and Hooker step in this weekend.
“When I fought with Scott Holtzman in Las Vegas, we fought in the morning — Saturday morning. My last fight in the morning, I knocked him out, so my prediction is really similar.”
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on August 17, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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