While focused on his upcoming fight against Ludovit Klein, Mateusz Gamrot expressed a strong interest in eventually stepping into the octagon with Paddy Pimblett.
Gamrot is set to face Klein this Saturday at UFC Vegas 107, looking to rebound from a close split-decision loss to Dan Hooker in a `Fight of the Night` performance last July.
The landscape of the lightweight division has shifted significantly since Gamrot`s last outing, with developments like Islam Makhachev vacating the belt and Ilia Topuria set to fight Charles Oliveira for the vacant title. Notably, Paddy Pimblett has seen his stock rise dramatically after a decisive stoppage victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 314.
Addressing the division`s dynamics, Gamrot stated, “The lightweight division is the most dangerous and the best division.” However, he singled out Pimblett for criticism. “I don’t like this guy,” Gamrot said. “He talks too much and he has a really easy way to be in this place where he’s a star.” He feels many believe Pimblett deserves a title shot, but ultimately, it`s the UFC`s decision.
For now, Gamrot is focused squarely on his immediate challenge. “To be honest, right now, it’s focus [on] this fight,” he emphasized, aiming for a win and a strong performance. He plans to stay active this year, with the goal of making next year a “huge” one for his career.
Pimblett secured a third-round ground-and-pound stoppage against Chandler in April. While impressive to many, Gamrot wasn`t particularly surprised by the outcome, largely attributing it to the state of Chandler as an opponent.
Gamrot elaborated on his view of the Chandler fight: “This was a good performance, but always you have [a] good performance when the [fighter in] front of you is [going] backward, the guy who is doing nothing.” He believes the peak Chandler was years ago, and the current version is “so easy for everybody now in the lightweight division.” Therefore, he wasn`t surprised Pimblett looked good.
“But I still think he’s an easy fight, Paddy Pimblett,” Gamrot maintained, suggesting Pimblett will face significant trouble against truly high-level opponents.
The loss to Hooker ended a three-fight winning streak for Gamrot, who stands at 7-2 in his last nine bouts. He faces a tough test in Klein, who brings a quiet but impressive seven-fight unbeaten streak into the octagon.
Looking ahead, Gamrot anticipates a “massive 2025 campaign,” starting with a crucial win over Klein. A key goal is eventually securing a fight with Pimblett, aiming to demonstrate that the surging star might not be as skilled as many perceive.
“I think [I’d be a nightmare for him],” Gamrot asserted regarding a potential clash. He “would love to meet him in the octagon” and believes it will happen in the future. Seeing it as a great stylistic matchup, despite Pimblett focusing more on striking lately, Gamrot views “The Baddy” as fundamentally a grappler. He predicts finishing Pimblett on the ground: “I think I finish him in the ground, for sure, because he made a lot of mistakes on the ground, and I see this, and I have tools to get the win.”
Gamrot feels his ground game hasn`t been fully showcased lately as his recent opponents were primarily strikers who avoided the ground. “But if I get someone who [likes the] ground game and he’s going to scramble with me, then bro, I am really dangerous there,” he warned.
