Polish lightweight Mateusz Gamrot, despite having a challenging bout scheduled, expressed his desire to eventually face Paddy Pimblett in the octagon.
This weekend, Gamrot is set to compete against Ludovit Klein at UFC Vegas 107, aiming to rebound from a split-decision defeat to Dan Hooker in a “Fight of the Night” performance last July.
Since Gamrot`s most recent fight, significant shifts have occurred in the lightweight landscape: Islam Makhachev vacated his belt to move up, Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira are slated to contest the vacant title, and Paddy Pimblett has seen his profile rise following a dominant stoppage victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 314.
Gamrot commented on the division, stating, “The lightweight division is the most dangerous division and the best division.” He added that he wasn`t surprised by Islam`s move up, noting, “Islam, I am not surprised that he moved up. He beat everybody from lightweight division so he wants to get the second belt.”
However, Gamrot holds a different view regarding Pimblett. He openly stated, “But Paddy Pimblett, I don’t like this guy. He talks too much and he has a really easy way to to be this this place where he’s a star. Everybody thinks he deserve to fight for the title, but at the end of the day, this is UFC decision and UFC, they choose.”
Currently, Gamrot`s primary focus is on his upcoming fight with Klein. He emphasized his goal: “For me, to be honest, right now, it’s focus [on] this fight and I want to get the win, put a really good performance, and this year I want to stay active. I want to get the next fight and then if [my plans go the right way], this next year will be huge for me.”
Pimblett secured a third-round stoppage against Chandler using vicious ground and pound at the April pay-per-view event. While this performance impressed many, Gamrot wasn`t taken aback by the outcome, largely attributing it to the state of his opponent. He remarked, “This was a good performance, but always you have put good performance when the [fighter in] front of you is [going] backward, the guy who is doing nothing. The [best] Chandler was like five years, seven years ago. But right now, the guy was so easy for him. I think that Chandler is so easy for everybody now in the lightweight division. So I am not surprised that he looked like that.”
Gamrot maintained his stance on Pimblett`s skill level relative to high-level competition. “But I still think he’s an easy fight, Paddy Pimblett,” he asserted. “If he gets some really good, high-level opponents, he will be have trouble in the fight.”
Gamrot`s loss to Hooker ended a three-fight winning streak, bringing his record to 7-2 in his last nine appearances heading into Saturday`s bout against Klein, who is currently on a quiet seven-fight unbeaten run.
Looking ahead, Gamrot anticipates a significant year in 2025, starting with a victory over Klein. Eventually, he hopes to secure a fight against Pimblett to demonstrate to fans that the popular rising star may not be as formidable as perceived.
“I think [I’d be a nightmare for him],” Gamrot commented. “I’d love meet him in in the octagon, and in the future I think this is going to happen.” He sees a favorable stylistic matchup, noting, “He’s [loves] striking right now, but he’s a grappler, great stylistic [fight] to me.” Gamrot is confident in his ability to finish Pimblett on the ground: “When I meet him, this is going to be a great fight, but I think I finish him in the ground, for sure, because he made a lot of mistakes on the ground, and I see this, and I have tools to get the win.”
He concluded by explaining his comfort in grappling against different styles: “Because my previous opponents were always strikers, you know, for my previous opponents, the ground was fire and I can show my best on the ground. But if I get someone who [likes the] ground game and he’s going to scramble with me, then bro, I am really dangerous there.”
