Hello and welcome to a new series, ‘Making their mark’, where we delve into a debuting UFC fighter, breaking down their career so far, their fight style as well as previewing their upcoming bout. Todays edition looks at one of the most exciting prospects coming out of Europe, Mateusz ‘Gamer’ Gamrot.
Career so far
The former KSW 145 and 155 lbs champion, Mateusz Gamrot (17-0 1NC), has put together an impressive resume running through the best the Polish promotion has to offer, and now looks ready to challenge the elite of the stacked UFC lightweight division. A professional since 2012, the 29 year old Pole racked up three wins before debuting for KSW, where he faced stiff competition from the off in the shape of former UFC veteran Andre Winner and one time Bellator competitor Rodrigo Cavalheiro. ‘Gamer’ was granted a lightweight title shot in just his 11th outing, claiming a unanimous decision win over Mansour Barnaoui at KSW 35 in 2016. Following a submission win in his first defence, he was then matched against former TUF winner and nine fight UFC veteran Norman Parke in what was undoubtedly the toughest fight of his young career. A controversial decision win for Gamrot was followed by a no contest in the rematch as Parke couldn’t continue due to an accidental eye poke. Gamrot added the 145 lbs belt to his collection after a five round unanimous decision over former champion Kleber Koike Erbst in 2018, and then ended his rivalry with Parke after a striking clinic forced the referee to step in three rounds into their contest in July of this year. Gamrot signed off his 14 fight run with KSW with a decision win in his final bout against Marian Ziolkowski in August.
Fight style
An ADCC level grappler, Gamrot has extensive grappling experience and has won numerous national and continental competitions in both wrestling and BJJ. He uses this grappling to great effect, dominating and suffocating his opponents both in the clinch and on the mat, when you add this to his superb takedown defence this often means he controls where the fight takes place. Once the fight hits the ground Gamrot has good ground and pound, passes guard seamlessly and also threatens with a wide array of submissions. On the feet the Pole is much improved, as can be seen from his recent win over Norman Parke, where impressive shot selection and combinations forced the referee to intervene. With solid boxing and intelligent movement, Gamrot now looks much more comfortable in the standup, and as a result is much more well rounded.
The debut
Gamrot will face fellow newcomer Guram Kutateladze in his UFC debut this weekend on Fight Island, after original opponent Magomed Mustafaev pulled out due to undisclosed reasons. The preliminary card contest sees the two European prospects clash at 155 lbs. Kutateladze has won his last eight contests, five of which did not hear the final bell, and most recently stopped Felipe Silva in under a minute at Brave CF 29. The Georgian trains with rising star Khamzat Chimaev at Allstars Training Centre in Sweden, and has finished eight of his eleven career wins early (seven KO/TKO’s and one submission). With a tough debut against another young, hungry prospect, this should be a good indicator of just how good Gamrot is and how for he can go in the promotion.
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