Polish lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot, while acknowledging his immediate challenge this weekend, openly expressed his desire for a future showdown with Paddy Pimblett in the octagon.
Gamrot is slated to appear in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 107 show at the UFC APEX. The former KSW champion is aiming to rebound from a narrow split-decision defeat against Dan Hooker in a `Fight of the Night` performance at UFC 305 back in July.
Since Gamrot`s last outing, the lightweight landscape has seen significant shifts. Islam Makhachev vacated the title to move to the welterweight division, Ilia Topuria is set to challenge Charles Oliveira for the vacant belt at UFC 317, and Paddy Pimblett`s profile has soared following his decisive stoppage victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 314.
Commenting on the state of his weight class, Gamrot remarked, “The lightweight division is the most dangerous and the best. Things are always changing every month. I`m not surprised Islam moved up. He beat everyone in the lightweight division, so he`s going for a second belt.”
When the topic turned to Pimblett, Gamrot didn`t hide his feelings. “I don’t like this guy. He talks too much and he’s had a really easy path to becoming a star. Everyone thinks he deserves a title fight, but in the end, that’s the UFC’s decision, and they choose.”
Gamrot stressed his current focus: “To be honest, right now, my focus is on this fight. I want to get the win, put on a really good performance, and stay active this year. I want the next fight, and if my plans work out, next year will be huge for me.”
Pimblett`s third-round TKO win over Chandler in April with ground and pound garnered considerable attention. However, Gamrot was not particularly surprised by the outcome, largely attributing it to the state of Chandler as an opponent.
“It was a good performance, but you always perform well when the fighter across from you is retreating and doing nothing,” Gamrot explained. “The best Chandler was like five or seven years ago. Right now, he was an easy opponent for Paddy. I think Chandler is easy for everyone in the lightweight division now, so I wasn`t surprised by how Paddy looked.”
Despite Pimblett`s recent success, Gamrot`s assessment of `The Baddy` himself remains unchanged. “But I still think he’s an easy fight, Paddy Pimblett. If he faces some really good, high-level opponents, he will 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 fights as he prepares to meet Klein, who enters the bout on an impressive seven-fight unbeaten streak.
Looking ahead, Gamrot anticipates a significant year in 2025, beginning with a victory over Klein. Ultimately, he hopes to face Pimblett to demonstrate to fans that the popular rising star might not be as formidable as they perceive.
“I think I’d be a nightmare for him,” Gamrot stated regarding a potential matchup. “I would love to meet him in the octagon, and I believe it will happen in the future. He seems to favor striking right now, but he’s a grappler, which is a great stylistic match for me. When we meet, it will be a great fight, but I think I would finish him on the ground, for sure, because he makes a lot of mistakes on the ground. I see them, and I possess the tools to secure the win.”
He contrasted this with his recent opponents: “My previous opponents were always strikers. Against them, the ground was my domain where I could showcase my best skills. But if I face someone who enjoys the ground game and is willing to scramble with me, then, truly, I am very dangerous there.”
Wesley Dunham 
Marcus Blakely