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Mateusz Gamrot | Out To Prove A Point
Polish Veteran Keen On Making A Statement Against Quillan Salkilld This Weekend
Mateusz Gamrot is one of the most underrated and under-appreciated fighters on the planet, and he gets the opportunity to prove that once again this weekend in Las Vegas.
Penciled into the main event opposite surging Australian Quillan Salkilld on Saturday evening at the Meta APEX, the 35-year-old Gamrot enters as the “A-side” in the pairing, sporting a higher ranking, more experience, and bigger wins than his counterpart from Perth, but for the second consecutive fight, the Polish veteran is fighting backwards in the division and more people are focused on the opportunity in front Salkilld and not necessarily the daunting challenge that awaits him.
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“This is another main event in the UFC, and this is a super-honor for me that I can headline in the big show in the world,” Gamrot said. “I am ready, I am excited. The next guy in front of me (is) young, dangerous; I respect him, I respect his skills, but I know what I bring to the table. I am ready to rock ‘n roll. Another young prospect, but I don’t care who UFC puts against me. I wanna just prove that I am one of the best fighters in the world, and that’s it.”
Stationed in the top 10 in both the Meta and media rankings, Gamrot has earned 26 wins in 31 career starts, becoming a permanent fixture in the lightweight rankings almost immediately after arriving from KSW, where he posted a 13-0 record with one no contest, earning titles at both lightweight and featherweight to establish himself as one of the best fighters competing outside the walls of the UFC.
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Since landing on the biggest stage in the sport, he has amassed a 9-4 record, with two of those losses coming by split decision and another in a short-notice matchup last October in Rio de Janeiro against former champ and current BMF titleholder Charles Oliveira. He is the last person and one of only two fighters to best top contender Arman Tsarukyan, and back in April at UFC 327, he showed why emerging threats are running a risk by viewing him as a potential steppingstone on their journey up the divisional ranks.
“This was super-important for me because I know politics in UFC, in MMA and the most important is to finish and I’m always aiming to get this,” Gamrot said of his second-round submission in over Esteban Ribovics.
“As a sportsman, the most important is to get the victory, but an entertaining fight is always important,” added the American Top Team Representative. “Quillan is great matchup against me because he has a (kick-heavy) style, dangerous matchup on the feet, but he likes to wrestle. He has tried with every one of his previous opponents to take them down and try fighting on the ground.
“I hope he’s gonna keep his strategy and be the same with me because then this will be nonstop action, a lot of scrambles; beautiful art for the world, for the fans. I expect fireworks on Saturday night.”
A member of the outstanding Contender Series Class of ’24, Salkilld has raced into the rankings in less than two years on the roster, catapulted by a series of highlight-reel finishes.
WATCH: Mateusz Gamrot: "I Am One Of The Best Fighters In The World" | UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs Salkilld
While he opened his UFC tenure with a 19-second knockout against Anshul Jubli that earned him the UFC Honors Fan’s Choice award for Debut of the Year in 2025, it was his short-notice knockout win over Nasrat Haqparast in October that propelled him forward in the talent-rich division. Since then, the Luistro Combat Academy representative has added two more first-round wins already this year, following his submission of Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 325 with a stoppage victory over Beneil Dariush at home in Perth in May.
Now, just five fights and less than two years into his time on the roster, he’s set to headline opposite Gamrot, with a spot in the top 10 hanging in the balance.
“Dangerous opponent — tall, reach, a lot of kicks, very good kicks; he looks strong, young, so we’ll see,” Gamrot said of his dance partner this weekend. “I think the key for victory is gonna be conditioning and a strong mind. Sometimes when I watch his fight, I see he is so tired in Round 2 or 3, so we’ll see. If the fight goes on to the championship rounds, who is stronger and who really wants to get the victory.
“I’m super-excited,” he added. “This guy motivates me because he’s young, a prospect; there is a lot of hype around him, but I know that if I beat him on Saturday night, I take everything (he has earned).”
That last piece is the most interesting element of this matchup for Gamrot and the true distillation of how things work in the current MMA landscape.
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His pedigree and track record as a world-class talent don’t seem to carry as much weight as the number of social media clips and clicks his performances can produce, and as such, the highly ranked and highly respected veteran stands to benefit a great deal by stepping in with a UFC sophomore and turning him back on Saturday.
“The way to a title shot is always different: somebody (gets) the easiest way, somebody (gets) the toughest way, somebody gets the big name,” Gamrot said. “I understand the most important is the performance in the cage, but right now, I am ready to do the same I did in April in the Miami show. The most important for me and I put everything I have into my focus for Quillan; he’s dangerous and I can’t underestimate him. I don’t want to think so much about what is next right now; just focus on him.”
And that single-minded focus has the proud veteran keen to make a significant statement this weekend.
“Crush him, brother! Crush him!” Gamrot said, swinging elbows at the camera, pantomiming the attacks he hopes to unleash on Salkilld on Saturday.
“Take him down, make him tired, and finish him; this is the plan!”
UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs Salkilld took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 8, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!