Mateusz Gamrot is getting ready to make his first octagon appearance of 2025. But not that long ago, Gamrot was announced as the backup fighter for the lightweight championship rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira at UFC 294.
Gamrot, who is set to face Ludovit Klein in the co-main event this Saturday at UFC Vegas 107, was preparing for the chance to step in if needed for the October 2023 pay-per-view card. It turns out, Charles Oliveira would be removed from the bout less than two weeks before it was scheduled to take place. Despite Gamrot being confirmed as the backup fighter, the UFC went with the rematch between Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski after their Fight of the Year bout at UFC 284 eight months earlier.
Makhachev would knock Volkanovski out in the first round, and while Gamrot still weighed in as the backup, he couldn’t help but watch.
“Yeah, that’s true, but the UFC, it’s politics,” Gamrot told MMA Fighting. “This moment, Volkanovski was bigger name than me, and the fight was Abu Dhabi to maybe some sheikh say, ‘Hey, we want Volk because the first fight was excellent, five rounds, and everybody expect that this [rematch] will look the same.’
“So I was surprised that the UFC [was] doing this, but politics, you know. Volk was a bigger name so the UFC chose the guy, and this was like two or three weeks before when Charles got the injury to so Volk had a little bit of time to prepare. So it is what is it, bro. I was there. I was happy. I was ready to step in. Everybody knows this, I am ready any time, bro. If you need me in the cage, I am there.”
Since then, Gamrot defeated former champ Rafael dos Anjos as UFC 299 the following March and, in his most recent fight, lost a competitive split decision to Dan Hooker at UFC 305 this past August.
After being in the elusive championship backup spot and still not getting his chance to fight for the title, Gamrot was asked if he would serve as the substitute for a big main event fight again.
“It depends,” Gamrot said. “It depends which fight and when this [fight is] going to be. But right now, I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Gamrot is living the “any time, anywhere” approach to the fight game as he takes a big step back from the lightweight rankings to face the surging Klein this weekend at the UFC APEX. Klein has quietly put together a seven-fight unbeaten streak as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career.
For Klein, there were two roads he could’ve traveled, and he believes he chose the right one.
“To be honest, I put pressure to UFC that I want to fight,” Gamrot explained. “I came to Florida in January, so and I want to get fight soon, but this time, everybody was booked from rankings, and I have two options: I can wait a few months later and then get somebody from rankings and [get a] good [higher ranked] fight or I get fight soon and then be active, go to back UFC octagon.
So my truth was clear: I want to fight. I want to be active. I’m a sportsman. [I’m not scared of] anybody — ranking, without ranking, doesn’t matter. I want to go to cctagon nd show how how I improve my skills.”
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