Following Mateusz Gamrot’s decision win against Ludovit Klein at UFC Vegas 107, the lightweight is back in need of matchmaking, having struggled to get a fight before the Klein booking.
The Klein matchup was strange to begin with due to the difference in ranking, with Gamrot ranked No. 7 and Klein not even in the top 15. However, this became clearer leading up to fight week.
Gamrot told UFC reporters that: “In January, I came to Florida, and I tried to get a fight, but at this moment, everybody was booked to fight. Some people turned down fights with me, and then the guys from the rankings were also booked, so everyone walked. So I have two options: I can wait a long time and get someone from the rankings, or accept a fight with someone outside the rankings, and be busy this year, be active. My choice was clear — I take the guy without a ranking, I’m a sportsman — I want to fight! I put pressure on the UFC, like, ‘it doesn’t matter: with or without ranking, I want to fight, I want to prove and show how I improved my skills.’”
After many unnamed lightweights declined a matchup against Gamrot, Daniel Cormier gave him a chance to call the shots and call out an opponent: “Give me [Saint] Denis for sure in the future. For right now, Paddy [Pimblett]. I wanna fight with him.”
So Gamrot, just like most lightweights, wants Paddy Pimblett next, also calling out Frenchman Benoit St Denis, who declined a fight with Gamrot at UFC 315. But do these fights make sense, and who do I think the lightweight contender should face?
Paddy Pimblett:
On the surface, this matchup makes sense: the number seven and number eight ranked fighting to earn a fight against a top-five lightweight, potentially a number-one contender fight. However, there are a lot of reasons why I believe this is the wrong matchup for HuntCampbellell and Dana White to make:
- The popularity difference: right now, in the UFC, it is fair to say Paddy Pimblett and Mateusz Gamrot are on very different levels of fame. Gamrot is not popular enough to headline a fight night, while Paddy Pimblett has his show on TNT Sport and is one of the most followed MMA fighters on social media, with 4.3 million Instagram followers. The UFC would be smart to match Paddy up with a bigger name and make Pimblett their new cash cow in the lightweight division, especially with a potential fight with Ilia Topuria in the coming years.
- Pimblett’s ambitions: Paddy has made himself clear in the media: he wants a number one contender fight. After beating a name like Michael Chandler in the fashion he did at UFC 314, winning by TKO in round three. To put it simply, Gamrot does not match Pimblett’s ambitions for a number one contender or the name value to be worth Pimblett’s time, who will likely be offered bigger fights.
In summary, this is not the fight that makes sense for the UFC, despite Gamrot’s plea.
Benoit Saint-Denis:
So, does the fight with the Frenchman make more sense? In my opinion: yes. This is because, despite having some good wins over Fiziev and Tsarukyan, his fight style is not intriguing to the fans, and his respectful nature outside the cage does not capture the attention either. This fight would be an easy way to fix this.
This is because Gamrot and Saint-Denis have a history, with Gamrot calling out Saint-Denis due to him allegedly ‘ducking him’.
Benoit St Denis explained in a UFC press conference that “if he could’ve done it in Montreal, it would’ve happened. But what I wanted to do was fight in Montreal. Waiting three weeks, or one month to have another opponent was an option I could’ve had, but I didn’t even discuss [Gamrot] with my manager because I told him I’m ready, I’m fighting, and if the UFC wants to [put me against] Gamrot in two weeks, I’ll do my job on Saturday night and I’ll be there in two weeks.”
Gamrot has added fuel to the fire, attacking St-Denis’ nickname: “His nickname is ‘God of War’, but I can change the nickname to ‘God of Comfort Zone.”
This gives the fight a story that could attract the casual audience, which could increase his popularity. It also benefits Saint-Denis, giving him a chance to jump high up the rankings, continuing his win streak and giving him a chance to bounce back after Renato Moicano and Dustin Poirier.
This is a win-win for the UFC and would give them another popular lightweight contender to add to a stacked top of the division.
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