Mateusz Gamrot Calls Out Justin Gaethje, Eyes Fight with Islam Makhachev After UFC Vegas 57 Victory
Mateusz Gamrot surprised many with his big win over Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Vegas 57 on Saturday.
Tsarukyan entered the bout as a -280 favorite over the Polish grappler, but it was Gamrot’s conditioning that held up better allowing him to take the last three rounds on all three scorecards to secure a unanimous decision victory. Following his victory, Gamrot took the opportunity to shoot his shot, calling out former two-time UFC title challenger Justin Gaethje.
“I am ready for f*cking every single guy in the division. In the future, I will be a champion for sure. I want to fight with Justin Gaethje. Justin Gaethje’s the most brutal guy in the division. I want to fight next with him.”
Appearing at the UFC Vegas 57 post-fight press conference, Gamrot elaborated on his callout of ‘The Highlight’ calling it a battle of the old school versus the new school of lightweight contenders.
“I am a big fan of Justin Gaethje. You know, I have a lot of respect for him. I think he’s the most brutal guy in the lightweight division. This guy fighting two times in the title shot and I think this is old school and I am new school. I am new generation. Now I wanna switch the place. I start climbing to the top.”
Mateusz Gamrot Reveals He Spoke With Khabib Nurmagomedov Following Win
Mateusz Gamrot also discussed a conversation he had with former lightweight champion and soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“Khabib said, ‘congratulations on your fight, you are a nice guy, for sure in the future you meet with Islam in fight.’ So I keep my fingers crossed for Islam. I think Islam beats Charles Oliveira next fight and I want my next fight with Justin and next fighting with Islam. Simple plan.”
With his win over Tsarukyan, Gamrot will likely find himself a top ten opponent for his next bout. Gaethje last fought at UFC 274 in May. Only a month removed from that fight, the timeline would certainly make sense for Gamrot to get a shot at Gaethje’s No. 3 spot in the rankings.
While the UFC has not committed to the bout, the general consensus is that Charles Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight championship before the end of the year. Oliveira was the undisputed champion until his bout with Gaethje at UFC 274. ‘Do Bronx’ weighed in over the lightweight title fight limit of 155 pounds and was stripped of his championship. With his win over Gaethje, Oliveira will fight to regain his lightweight title when he returns to the Octagon.
