What Is Next for a 34-Year-Old Polish Fighter?
Mateusz Gamrot is coming off a tough loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC Fight Night in Rio, Brazil. Oliveira won by submission in the second round with a rear-naked choke, showing how Oliveira can still dominate on the ground. While this was a hard loss for Gamrot, there are a lot of positives that Gamrot can focus on going forward. He stood up to a tough opponent on short notice, which showed his passion for the sport.
Taking a risky fight on short notice showed a lot of fearlessness in Gamrot, especially in front of a home crowd for Oliveira. Oliveira, who is a former lightweight, has much more experience in high-intensity fights against tough opponents. Gamrot, who had been nearing the top ten of the division, was stepping into a serious challenge in which he did not have a lot of time to prepare. While he did lose, the courage and toughness he showed were worth noting. This was Gamrot’s first stoppage loss in his career, showing that he typically has a great chin. His only three other losses were by decision or split decision. Gamrot also put up a solid fight against Oliveira. Oliveira is known for his dominant submission offense, and Gamrot made him work for it. Gamrot did not look completely outclassed in this fight and did not get totally overwhelmed until Oliveira got to his back. This showed that Gamrot is talented, and maybe a little more preparation would have set him up better for this fight. Going forward, Gamrot can definitely use this fight to learn from. A slight change in his game plan and working on his submission defense would be helpful. For the next fight, finding a tough but beatable opponent would be ideal. With the right fights that he takes next, he could make his way to the top ten of his division.
Gamrot showed a lot of passion and toughness by taking this fight on such short notice. While the loss is definitely hard on him, he has a lot to be proud of. Fighting Oliveira was worth the risk and will help his career as he can learn a lot from tougher opponents. Gamrot has a lot of potential going forward and can solidify himself as one of the elites of the Lightweight Division with the right moves going forward.
