Paddy Pimblett had plenty to say about Mateusz Gamrot after watching UFC 327, and none of it was kind.
The ranked lightweight contender posted a YouTube reaction video in which he criticized Gamrot’s marketability, questioned his placement on the card, and offered unsolicited advice on how the Polish fighter should approach his next move. Pimblett was surprised that a top-ten fighter was competing on the prelims.
“I didn’t know Gamrot was fighting,” Pimblett said. “No one gives a f— about him, it’s mad. He’s ranked number 8, and he’s fighting on the prelims.”
He went further, attributing the lack of interest to Gamrot’s style inside the cage. “It just genuinely shows nobody cares about him. Gamrot is boring,” Pimblett said following Gamrot’s third-round submission victory over Esteban Ribovics.
Despite the criticism, Pimblett shifted into strategist mode and laid out what he believes would be Gamrot’s fastest path to title contention. He pointed to Arman Tsarukyan, currently ranked number one in the division, as the obvious call-out given that Gamrot already holds a win over the Armenian.
“If I’m Gamrot, I’m calling Arman out because he’s beat him,” Pimblett said. “‘Come on, Arman, do you wanna get that one back? Fight me!’ You can go straight to number one contender, basically.” He also mentioned Dan Hooker as another viable option.
Pimblett himself has been out of action since suffering his first UFC loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in January. Reports indicate he and Dana White have agreed on a return date at UFC London, with plans for him to face a top contender at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11.
The UFC returned to one of the biggest cities in South America last night, as UFC Rio took place from the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This event marked the first time the UFC has touched down in Rio since it hosted UFC 301 in May 2024, an event that saw Alexandre Pantoja hold off Steve Erceg to retain the UFC flyweight title. It was also the first Fight Night card in Rio de Janeiro since March 2015, which saw Demian Maia score a decision win over Ryan LaFlare in the main event.
This night’s main event featured the popular former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, as he took on Mateusz Gamrot. Oliveira had traded losses and wins since losing the UFC lightweight title three years ago, and this was his first fight since getting knocked out by Ilia Topuria for the belt at UFC 317 in June. Gamrot took this fight on short notice after Rafael Fiziev fell out due to injury. Gamrot had won four of his last five, most recently scoring a decision over L’udovit Klein at UFC Vegas 107 in May.
The bantamweight co-main event also featured a former Brazilian UFC champion, as former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo took on Montel Jackson. Figueiredo had lost two straight, and this was Figueiredo’s first fight since getting stopped by recent title challenger Cory Sandhagen at UFC Des Moines in May. Jackson had won six straight, having most recently defeated Daniel Marcos at UFC Des Moines.
Who showed out in Rio? Who fell short of expectation? Let’s go into it all with the Hits and Misses of UFC Rio!
Miss: Eight-Pound Weight Difference Is Inexcusable
I don’t want to take away the credit from Luan Lacerda. He wanted to fight, he wanted the opportunity to earn his win bonus, and he got it. But that doesn’t take away from how inexcusable it was for a fighter, Saimon Oliveira in this case, to miss weight by eight pounds and put the bout’s status in jeopardy until the day of the fight.
Oliveira’s weight was closer to featherweight than it was to bantamweight. There are some commissions that might have scrapped the fight then and there. And if that was the case, it would have been highway robbery for Lacerda.
Yes, weight cutting is a dangerous aspect of combat sports that needs to still be addressed. Yes, the pay structure of the sport is something that needs to be addressed. But this kind of weight miss is something that can universally be shamed, and should bring about ideas for not just commissions, but also promotions, to address on how such actions should be penalized more harshly.
Hit: “Lady GOAT” Bia Mesquita One To Watch
Bia Mesquita is a legend of jiu-jitsu. And while she may just be an MMA rookie, her run thus far has been impressive, leading to a highly successful UFC debut at UFC Rio.
Mesquita flat out dominated Irina Alekseeva, taking her down early in the first round and dominating from full mount with ground-and-pound and top pressure. That continued into the second round, where she quickly locked up a rear-naked choke to score the submission win.
There’s no guarantee that Mesquita becomes the top dog at women’s bantamweight, but she still presents, as one MMA media mentioned on social media, a needed shot in the arm for women’s 135. And maybe one day, whether for a belt or not, we get a fantastic jiu-jitsu vs. judo battle between her and current champion Kayla Harrison.
Hit: Heavyweight Vitor Petrino
Vitor Petrino was on an impressive run at light heavyweight before suffering the first two losses of his career last year to Anthony Smith and and Dustin Jacoby. But his victory over Thomas Petersen may have shown that he may have more opportunities of success competing at heavyweight.
Petrino dropped Petersen during the first round and completely nullified his attempts to wrestle. Petrino’s striking appeared to be on point until he started to fatigue in the later portions of round two. Fortunately for him, he needed mere seconds of round three to land a two-punch combination to drop Petersen out cold for the victory.
BACK TO BACK WINS AT HEAVYWEIGHT‼️@VitorPetrino earns the 3rd RD KO!
Petrino obviously needs to work on his gas tank, but with how weak heavyweight is right now in the UFC, he might find himself in the rankings of that division sooner than later.
Hit: Jafel Filho’s Future At Flyweight Bright?
Known as “The Pastor,” Jafel Filho has put his own kind of blessings on the Octagon. And he did so in emphatic fashion in front of a native crowd at UFC Rio, needing just under one full round to finish Clayton Carpenter.
Filho wobbled Carpenter early before scoring a takedown, controlling all of the fight with his top-pressure grappling. Filho worked his way to the back and tried to sink in a rear-naked choke. When he couldn’t do that, Filho transitioned successfully into a nasty kimura lock for the win.
WHAT A FINISH 🤯@JafelFilho locks in the kimura in the 1st RD!
Filho moves to 17-4 as a pro. Though he’s just 3-2 in the UFC, one of his wins has come against Ode’ Osbourne, his DWCS win came against Roybert Echeverria, and his only two Octagon losses have come to Muhammad Mokaev and Allan Nascimento. I’d call that a strong resume, and I wouldn’t mind Filho’s next fight or two coming against lower-ranked flyweights to give him an opportunity to earn a number next to his name.
Hit: Michael Aswell Jr. Silences Brazil Crowd
Talk about leaving people speechless. The Brazilian crowd and their support was no match for the talent of Michael Aswell Jr., who quickly put away Lucas Almeida.
Aswell cracked Almeida in the opening seconds and didn’t let up with striking pressure, going for the win almost immediately. Almeida tried to fight back but ended up seated and slumped against the fence, where Aswell finished him off.
GOT IT DONE IN UNDER A MINUTE 😱
Michael Aswell Jr. gets his first UFC win in Brazil!
This was Aswell’s first win after dropping his UFC debut to Bolaji Oki, and he looked quite impressive. Hopefully he gets the chance to compete on UFC 323 — even if he did seem to spoil the confirmation of Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van.
Miss: Horrid Officiating Yet Again
Every week there seems to be at least one bad case of bad officiating by a referee involved in the action. And this week, we were “blessed” to have two such instances.
The first came in Kaan Ofli’s win over Ricardo Ramos that opened up the UFC Rio main card. Ramos pressured Ofli to the fence quickly and appeared to be searching for a tight leg lock. But during those attempts, Ofli used the fence to gain leverage and help himself escape. None of the fence grabs appeared to be warned, let alone noticed, by a veteran referee like Marc Goddard. Ofli would go on to find Ramos’ back and score a rear-naked choke.
Then came Joel Alvarez’s victory over Vicente Luque. During the opening round, Alvarez connected with a left hand that did damage to Luque’s eye. Luque went down in pain and claimed that he was eye poked. The referee confirmed the shot was a legal blow and appeared to wave the fight off.
Then, the doctor entered the Octagon. And somehow Luque was given the timeout as though he was actually eye poked. This is all despite the referee’s initial ruling being the correct one — with a fight-pausing/ending sequence actually coming as the result of a legal blow being ruled a TKO. This was made worse by the way when Luque was saying he was done right before the third round, with his corner having to convince him to go out there — which, again, on the ref noticing should have been a TKO ruling.
Fortunately for Alvarez, he managed to win the fight. But when referees are making mistakes like this, it just continues to flabbergast me how we don’t have real-time corrections and accountability for match officials in this sport.
Miss: A Bleak Future For Vicente Luque?
Speaking of Luque vs. Alvarez, man, have things been rough for Vicente Luque.
This loss now marks his fifth loss in his last seven fights. And while the losses haven’t come to necessarily bad competition, it really is disappointing when you consider that Luque was once in the mix for a potential welterweight title shot just a couple of years ago.
And this fight may have been Luque’s worst performance yet. If he’s lucky to get another fight, he may have fallen so far that he could fighting for his UFC future. It’s a sad sight to see.
Hit: Deiveson Figueiredo Finds Victory Again
It feels weird to say, but Deiveson Figueiredo hadn’t tasted victory in a little over a year when he entered UFC Rio. Fortunately, Figueiredo managed to dig deep and pull off the performance he needed in front of a native crowd to score a decision win.
Figueiredo scored an early takedown of Jackson and threatened to make it a quick night with multiple submission attempts. The former flyweight champ then controlled the action on the feet and threatened a tight arm-triangle, going on to score a decision win (arguably one that should have been unanimous).
Figueiredo had come into this bout off losses to Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen. And now that he’s back in the win column here, perhaps we wait to see how Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista and (if true) Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong play out before selecting one of those names as a next opponent for him.
Hit: Charles Oliveira Sends Brazil Into A Frenzy
Talk about a needed win. It wasn’t one where Charles Oliveira needed to win to show he was still relevant, but after some struggles following losing the lightweight title on the scales a few years ago, Oliveira must have felt like a God after coming out on top in front of a native crowd.
Oliveira controlled Mateusz Gamrot with grappling throughout the first round, threatening both an Omoplata and a choke. Oliveira then pressured Gamrot with both striking and grappling during the second round, where he proceeded to end things with a choke.
This was Oliveira’s first fight since getting knocked out by Ilia Topuria at UFC 317, and Oliveira still has his sights on gold — but not the one you think of. Oliveira sent out the challenge to Max Holloway for a BMF title fight, and it appears Holloway accepted. And if I can speak for plenty of the UFC fans, I think this is a fight we’d love to see happen.
The homecoming of Charles Oliveira is a highly successful one, as he showed off his grappling en route to scoring a victory over Mateusz Gamrot in the main event of UFC Rio.
Oliveira landed a solid one-two to start, and Gamrot responded with a takedown. Oliveira’s submission game then came into play, threatening an Omoplata and an armbar before an escape by Gamrot. Oliveira then got to Gamrot’s back on a scramble threatening chokes until the end of the round.
Oliveira and Gamrot then did plenty of exchanging in the second round, with Oliveira trying to back Gamrot up with pressure. A couple of minutes into the second round, Oliveira shot in and lifted Gamrot before getting the fight back on the ground. There, Oliveira locked up a rear-naked choke and submitted Gamrot.
Following the match, after causing an absolute frenzy in Rio, Oliveira called out Max Holloway for a rematch from their 2015 encounter that Holloway won — this time with the BMF title on the line.
Charles Oliveira Submits Mateusz Gamrot In UFC Rio Main Event
This was Oliveira’s first fight since being knocked out by Ilia Topuria in their UFC 317 lightweight title fight. He has consistently traded wins and losses since dropping the lightweight title in 2022.
Gamrot, who took this fight on short notice, is 4-2 in his last six. He came into this fight off a win over L’udovit Klein at UFC Vegas 107 in May.
UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!
In the main event, former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira faced Mateusz Gamrot. In the co-main event, former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo continued his bantamweight campaign against Montel Jackson.
UFC Fight Night Results: Main Card
Lightweight bout: Charles Oliveira def. Mateusz Gamrot via submission: R2, 2.48
Bantamweight bout: Deiveson Figueiredo def. Montel Jackson via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
Welterweight bout: Joel Alvarez def. Vicente Luque via unanimous decision (30-26×3)
Heavyweight bout: Mario Pinto def. Jhonata Diniz via TKO: R2, 4.10
UFC Rio is almost here, and we here at MMA News are here to provide you the latest on betting odds for the card.
The card takes place from the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday, October 11. The main card portion of the event will start at 7PM ET/4PM PT, with preliminary action starting at 4PM ET/1PM PT.
The main event will see a lightweight battle featuring former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and Mateusz Gamrot.
The co-main event will see bantamweight action as former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo faces Montel Jackson.
The UFC Perth main card will also feature Vicente Luque meeting Joel Alvarez, Jhonata Diniz squaring off with Mario Pinto, Ricardo Ramos taking on Kaan Ofli, and Lucas Almeida going toe-to-toe with Michael Aswell Jr.
UFC Rio: Oliveira vs. Gamrot Betting Odds
Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC Rio as of October 11 (fight day) at 11 am ET, courtesy of DraftKings.
Main Card:
Lightweight: Charles Oliveira (-108) vs. Mateusz Gamrot (-112)
Bantamweight: Deiveson Figueiredo (+270) vs. Montel Jackson (-340)
Welterweight: Vicente Luque (+400) vs. Joel Alvarez (-535)
Heavyweight: Jhonata Diniz (-120) vs. Mario Pinto (+100)
Featherweight: Ricardo Ramos (-205) vs. Kaan Ofli (+170)
Featherweight: Lucas Almeida (+210) vs. Michael Aswell Jr. (-258)
Preliminary Card:
Flyweight: Jafel Filho (-130) vs. Clayton Carpenter (+110)
Heavyweight: Vitor Petrino (-290) vs. Thomas Petersen (+235)
Women’s Bantamweight: Bia Mesquita (-600) vs. Irina Alekseeva (+440)
Flyweight: Lucas Rocha (-115) vs. Stewart Nicoll (-105)
Women’s Strawweight: Julia Polastri (-550) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz(+410)
Bantamweight: Luan Lacerda (-360) vs. Saimon Oliveira (+285)
UFC lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot has made it clear that he is ready to test himself in any department against Charles Oliveira.
In the main event of UFC Rio, Mateusz Gamrot will battle former champion Charles Oliveira in a short notice contest. ‘Do Bronx’ was originally supposed to fight Rafael Fiziev, until he unfortunately had to withdraw from the bout. Now, the Polish sensation has stepped up to take the fight.
While he may not have that much time to prepare, we all know what Mateusz Gamrot is capable of. He’s an incredibly impressive fighter and while he’s had his fair share of ups and downs, he’s still a viable threat to just about anyone in the division.
In a recent interview, Mateusz Gamrot opened up on how fired up he is for this one.
Mateusz Gamrot is ready for Charles Oliveira test
“Jiu-jitsu and wrestling are my background,” Gamrot said on UFC Unfiltered. “This is in my heart. I feel it in my DNA. I can roll with him on the ground. I think this is going to be an epic fight on the ground, for sure, because I’m not afraid of his ground. I will go and take him down, and I’m going to try and roll with him on the ground. But this is going to be an all-rounder fight.
“I’m going to exchange punches, exchange wrestling. I want to test myself against him on the ground. This is going to be nonstop action, for sure – five rounds nonstop action. But maybe we don’t need five rounds. Epic fight for sure – super excited.”
“I go to his hometown to Brazil, all Brazil against me – give me this energy,” Gamrot said. “Give me this energy, because I grew up with this. Every boo will be power to me. And you know what? Wrestling is power – control, strength, conditioning, everything.”
Charles Oliveira finally has an opponent set for his next Octagon appearance.
Oliveira was originally slated to face Rafael Fiziev in a lightweight bout headlining UFC Rio on October 11 at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, last week it was revealed that “Ataman” had to withdraw due to injury, prompting a search for a new opponent for the former UFC 155-pound champion.
The UFC has lost its lightweight main event between Charles Oliveira and Rafael Fiziev on Oct. 11 after Fiziev has been forced to withdraw due to injury, sources confirmed to @bokamotoESPN.
Octagon Update was first to report the news of Fiziev's injury. The UFC has not commented…
Several fighters, including Benoit Saint Denis, Mateusz Gamrot, and even former UFC featherweight title contender Diego Lopes, emerged as potential short-notice replacements for “Do Bronx”.
Charles Oliveira Matched With Mateusz Gamrot In UFC Rio Main Event
On Tuesday, Charles Oliveira revealed that he has agreed to face Mateusz Gamrot in the UFC Rio main event following Rafael Fiziev’s withdrawal.
“Opponent: Mateusz Gamrot,” Charles Oliveira said on social media. “This is the guy we’re going to battle in a great war. The rest just wanted the hype, just wanted to stall and talk but that’s part of it, that’s how it is… Mateusz Gamrot, thank you for accepting the fight. It’s going to be a big war! The lion is hungry. I’m full of willpower. We’ll meet on Oct. 11.”
“Do Bronx” is coming off a devastating first-round knockout loss to reigning lightweight champion Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 this past June. Once riding an impressive 11-fight win streak, Oliveira is now navigating a challenging period in his career, going 3-3 in his last six bouts.
He holds a 23-11 record with one no contest in the UFC, with 16 of those victories coming via submission.
Meanwhile, Gamrot had been eager for a showdown with the Brazilian veteran for quite some time, and when the headliner spot at UFC Rio became vacant, he threw his hat in the ring and kept campaigning on social media until the UFC finally made the call.
“Gamer” last stepped into the Octagon at UFC Vegas 107 this past May, securing a unanimous decision victory over Ludovit Klein. The 34-year-old Polish fighter holds an 8-3 UFC record, with four of those wins coming by stoppage.
UFC commentator Michael Bisping has explained why he believes Charles Oliveira will accept a fight against Mateusz Gamrot on short notice.
As we know, Charles Oliveira is an absolute warrior and a true fan favorite in the world of mixed martial arts. However, after his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria, the Brazilian sensation decided to jump back on the horse by booking a fight at UFC Rio – not long after the KO defeat.
Unfortunately, after his opponent Rafael Fiziev pulled out, Charles Oliveira has been left without an opponent. Mateusz Gamrot is someone who has been poking the bear and implying that he will take on ‘Do Bronx’ and in the eyes of Michael Bisping, that makes sense.
Michael Bisping’s thoughts on Charles Oliveira vs Mateusz Gamrot
“I can’t imagine Charles Oliveira will turn this down,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Remember, these are tweets on Sunday from Mateusz Gamrot. I’m sure that when Charles Oliveira gets wind of this, I’m sure the UFC would like to make this matchup. … Mateusz Gamrot 100 percent wants the fight. I think that’s the fight to make.”
“I’m sure Charles Oliveira is not worried about the style of Mateusz Gamrot,” Bisping said. “Charles Oliveira has stepped in there against the very best. He’s not scared of anyone. Fighters at this level, they aren’t scared. The stylistic matchup that he has, the way that he goes forward, the way that he walks people down, the way that he strikes, he’s got knockout power. He’s got finishing ability in every bloody fiber of his body.
“And Mateusz Gamrot, given his style, isn’t going to knock him out because he’s just not that guy. He tends to go forward, he’ll use a single-leg takedown, head on the outside, which is dangerous against Oliveira for the guillotines, but that’s what he does. He takes people down and he’s got a really smothering style on the ground and, of course, a tremendous ground game, but it’s not the striking that he’s known for.
“Given the last fight [Oliveira] had against Ilia Topuria, the last thing you want to do is go up against someone with knockout power, which is what he was doing against Fiziev, and that’s why I respected him taking that matchup. This truly is kind of a crazy wrinkle here from Mateusz Gamrot.”
Mateusz Gamrot is claiming he’s still a top name at lightweight, making the statement of contender status with a win over L’udovit Klein in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 107.
Gamrot set the tone early with relentless pressure, mixing striking with takedowns and control. Though Klein had a brief moment when he stunned Gamrot with a jab, Gamrot secured multiple takedowns, controlling from the back and hammering Klein with punches and knees.
Gamrot continued to smother Klein in the second round, staying active from top position with strikes and stifling Klein’s offense. He used positional grappling effectively, even threatening an arm-triangle to maintain control. Klein came out more aggressive, trying to change the tide with kicks and combinations. While he had some success at range, Gamrot’s takedowns and top control continued, sealing him the round and fight. He ended strong in side control, landing ground-and-pound and securing a crucifix.
Mateusz Gamrot Dominates In Decision Win Over L’udovit Klein In UFC Vegas 107 Co-Main Event
That result relegated the Polish standout to #7 in the rankings, and that’s a spot he’ll need to defend opposite a rising prospect currently outside the top 15 next time out.
The UFC announced this week that Gamrot will do battle at UFC Vegas 107 inside the Apex on May 31 with Ľudovít Klein (23-4-1).
For many, the Slovakian 30-year-old is overdue a shot at breaking into the rankings. “Mr. Highlight” has amassed an unbeaten run spanning seven fights, most recently outpointing Roosevelt Roberts to cap off a 3-0 year in 2024.
Prior to a narrow split decision setback to Hooker, meanwhile, Gamrot had defeated Jalin Turner, Rafael Fiziev, and Rafael dos Anjos consecutively.
The fight against Klein has come as a surprise to many fans, especially after “Gamer” previously campaigned for clashes with the likes of Justin Gaethje and Arman Tsarukyan in the past few months.
A UFC lightweight contender seems to be fuming after being passed over for the opportunity to square off against Justin Gaethje next.
Gaethje was initially scheduled to face Dan Hooker in a highly anticipated five-round co-main event at UFC 313 on March 8, set for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, in a sudden twist on Tuesday, “The Highlight” found himself without a dance partner after Hooker was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a hand injury.
The UFC’s top brass allegedly reached out to several elite 155-pound contenders, including Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, and Dustin Poirier, in a bid to find a last-minute replacement for “The Hangman.” The promotion ultimately shifted its focus to Gaethje’s former foe, Rafael Fiziev, who stepped up and accepted the fight on short notice.
He claimed that the only reason the former UFC interim lightweight champion agreed to the fight was because “Ataman” presents a stylistically favorable matchup for him.
“Easier choice stylistically. Strikers have always feared wrestlers. I keep in great shape and I’m ready for anyone!” Gamrot wrote on X.
Easier choice stylistically. Strikers have always feared wrestlers. I keep in great shape and I'm ready for anyone!
“The Highlight” is set to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon after a hiatus of nearly a year. His last outing saw him suffer a buzzer-beater knockout loss to Max Holloway in their BMF title showdown at UFC 300 this past April.
Meanwhile, Fiziev last stepped into the Octagon in September 2023, headlining a UFC Fight Night clash against “Gamer.” Unfortunately, his night was cut short after suffering a torn ACL in the second round, forcing a TKO defeat.
Gaethje already holds a majority decision victory over Fiziev from their showdown at UFC 286 in March 2023.
The UFC is set to return to London, England on March 22 where it’s expected that Paddy Pimblett will make his seventh appearance inside the Octagon. “The Baddy” has gone 6-0 in the promotion with his last win, a first round submission finish over King Green at UFC 304, seeing him earn the #13-spot in the rankings.
Though the former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards has recently claimed that he will be one half of the main event at the O2 Arena, Pimblett has become a staple of the UK cards and he always draws lots of attention to them. Given that his next fight will be a big matchup at 155-pounds, if he’s going to get a spot in London, it should make for a pretty significant Fight Night event with multiple high stakes clashes.
Both Beneil Dariush and Renato Moicano could have been potential opponents for the scouse contender but with them being booked against each other for UFC 311 in January, there aren’t too many names that make sense for Pimblett right now. Ranked one spot above Dariush at #8 is a potential opponent that has put his hand up to be the away fighter in London.
Poland’s Mateusz Gamrot is looking to bounce back from his loss to Dan Hooker at UFC 305 this past August which snapped his three-fight win streak against top names in Jalin Turner, Rafael Fiziev and Rafael dos Anjos. Having recently claimed that a report which matched him and Fiziev for a rematch was false, Gamrot followed that up with a post on X that called for a fight with “The Baddy”.
Given Gamrot’s list of wins and opponents since he joined the UFC back in 2020, this would definitely be the biggest test of Pimblett’s career to date and an opportunity for him to make some serious headway into the lightweight top 10.
The #11-ranked UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev recently took to social media to announce that he has already been accepting fights and dates for his return. “Ataman” has been out of action since September last year where his main event clash at the Apex with Mateusz Gamrot unfortunately ended when he suffered a leg injury in the second round.
It’s been almost 2 weeks since I accepted the date and the opponent. Still waiting to hear back. Can’t wait to get back in the octagon, it’s been too long 👊🏼
With his manager reportedly stating that he had agreed a fight for the promotion’s return to Saudi Arabia in February, many fans hoped that this would mean a match-up with Dustin Poirier who has also spoken about wanting to fight early on in 2025 in one of his final Octagon appearances.
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Fiziev said that though it would be an honor for him to share the cage with “The Diamond”, he doesn’t think that it is likely to happen.
“Many people talking something about Dustin like I see some in internet but it’s good. If I fight Dustin, of course it’s good. He’s a legend, he’s a former champion. Yeah for me, it’s like a miracle if I fight with Dustin but I’m not sure with this.”
Fiziev said in the interview that he has will accept any date that the UFC offer him and would be open to fighting anybody up or down the rankings to get back in the mix. However, he did have one preferred opponent.
“After my last loss against Gamrot, like after I get surgery, I talk with my manager and I tell him ‘Bro, I want to fight this guy.’ I want a rematch because I still want to feel this pressure, like wrestling pressure and grappling pressure. I still want to fight with elite grappler like him and I still want to check myself against wrestlers like him.”
It was a back-and-forth battle between the two lightweight contenders that ended in a split decision, after Gamrot started the fight well but faded over time.
All of the credit went to “The Hangman” who, after suffering some tough defeats, has been able to build his way back into contention at 155 pounds.
His display of heart and toughness pushed this bout towards winning the fight of the night bonus but of course, his Polish opponent also played his part and that’s something that Hooker’s coach wanted to highlight.
Eugene Bareman Praises Mateusz Gamrot And Says He Has Veen Unlucky Because Of His Fighting Style
In an interview with Combat TV, Hooker’s coach at City Kickboxing, Eugene Bareman, took a moment to show his appreciation for Gamrot as a fighter and competitor.
He referenced how “Gamer” was locked in to be the back-up fighter for UFC 294 in case anything happened to the main event between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.
When “Do Bronx” withdrew due to an injury, the UFC went with Alexander Volkanovski as the replacement instead despite Gamrot being ready to go, likely because it made for a bigger fight.
“For a start, I got a lot of respect for Gamrot and his team. I thought it was very unfair what happened to him in Abu Dhabi, you know, when Volk stepped in when he was already the person that was there waiting to be the replacement and instead of choosing him, they chose Volk who was in no shape to fight.
“I thought that should have been his opportunity and it was taken away by the machine, you know. The machine that is the UFC and I just thought he was a guy that has suffered a little bit because he doesn’t have the stereotypical fights that the fans necessarily want to see but I love watching the guy fight. The people that know about the sport, they appreciate his work and although it may not be a fan friendly kind of style of fight, the people that know really appreciate the way that he fights.”
One of the clear highlights of the UFC 305 pay-per-view this past weekend was the lightweight contest between Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker.
Given Gamrot’s position in the division and recent wins, many expected him to get this victory to take one more step closer to a title shot. However, “The Hangman” had other plans.
He gave his live reaction to the fight on his YouTube channel, where before the first bell sounded, he teed up the idea of meeting either man down the line.
“I could end up fighting one of these couldn’t I?”
Paddy Pimblett Agreed With Decision, Tees Up Dan Hooker Encounter In The Future
Like many, Pimblett agreed that Gamrot was the favorite going in. He did, however, make a point of stating that Hooker shouldn’t have been such a big underdog due to the caliber of opponents he has faced.
“The Baddy” wasn’t surprised to see “Gamer” get takedowns, but over the course of the fight, he watched as “The Hangman” kept pouring on the pressure with his forward momentum.
The fight was a close one, which the scorecards and Pimblett’s reaction seconded. But the former Cage Warriors champion did agree that Hooker did enough to get his hand raised.
While there may be 10 ranking spots between them, “The Baddy” would be open to testing himself against the fan favorite in the future.
“Fight of the night so far of what I’ve watched. Let’s see the decision anyway. I reckon Hooker, lad, to be honest. 29-28 Gamrot. 29-28 Hooker, upset, Dan Hooker back in the top five,” Pimblett said. “Could be a nice fight for me in the future.”
While he’s still reflecting on what went wrong Down Under this past weekend, UFC lightweight Mateusz Gamrot already has a next matchup in mind.
Gamrot emerged from the UFC 305 pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia, $50,000 better off after playing his part in the Fight of the Night. But the Polish standout failed to secure his main objectives — a fourth straight win and potential title shot next time out.
Having lost his place in the top five, “Gamer” is now out for redemption. Not for his latest defeat, though. Gamrot has another setback he wants to avenge before the year is out…
Gamrot Targets Dariush Rematch For December.
Speaking to Polsat Sport’s Paweł Wyrobek this week, Gamrot looked ahead to his plans to return to action for one more fight in 2024.
And in his bid to immediately bounce back from his loss to Hooker, the #8-ranked lightweight wants the man directly above him in the rankings — and the man who first halted his charge toward gold back in 2022.
“I think December would be good to come back,” Gamrot said. “If the UFC likes it too, I would like to fight Beneil Dariush. It would be good time to do this. I lost first fight with him, so I think it’s good time for a rematch.”
When the interviewer suggested the winner of the upcoming Paris showdown between Benoît Saint Denis and Renato Moicano as another possible option, “Gamer” reiterated that Dariush is his firm preference.
Gamrot and Dariush shared the cage at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. Coming off a Fight of the Night victory over current top contender Arman Tsarukyan, “Gamer” was looking to snap his veteran opponent’s lengthy losing skid to secure an opportunity at the belt.
Dariush had different plans, dropping Gamrot at one point in the fight en route to a unanimous decision verdict. The American hasn’t had his hand raised since, falling via knockout to both Charles Oliveira and Tsarukyan.
On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event, UFC 305.
For the first time this year, the UFC was Down Under this week, where Perth’s RAC Arena played host to the promotion’s latest Australian show. And the promotion brought with it across the globe a notable lineup that included a title fight and a host of intriguing undercard scraps.
The championship clash at the top of the billing saw Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya’s heated feud finally reach the the Octagon, with the South African’s middleweight belt on the line seven months on from his crowning at the expense of Sean Strickland in “The Great White North.”
Elsewhere, former flyweight title challengers Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg looked to stake their claims for a second shot at UFC gold in the co-main event, while Oceanic fan favorites Dan Hooker and Tai Tuivasa also hoped to deliver standout triumphs on the main card.
But did all those names come together to put on an entertaining night of fights? Let’s find out with all the positives and negatives from UFC 305.
Jesus Aguilar has two hobbies (among other things, I’m sure. Perhaps he’s partial to some ballroom dancing. Who knows?) — fighting Australians and locking in guillotine chokes. Combining them must have been like Christmas at UFC 305.
The Mexican entered the cage as an underdog for the first fight of the night in Perth, which many expected to be a coming out party for Australia’s newest hot prospect, the previously undefeated Stewart Nicoll.
But the 29-year-old fell to the same fate as his fellow countryman Shannon Ross did at UFC 290 in July 2023 — being left unconscious in the very first round.
In Las Vegas last year, Ross was absolutely obliterated on the feet by Aguilar in just 17 seconds in one of 2023’s most brutal knockouts. Nicoll’s demise came on the ground when he had his strong start rendered null after getting caught in Aguilar’s favorite submission move. The Mexican was, indeed, not silly. When the opportunity presented itself, he jumped the gilly and put Nicoll out — not that anybody bar Aguilar actually noticed.
That left a scary visual of the Aussie wide-eyed as his sleeping body fell back. On another note, could the referee not have maybe caught his head as it thundered onto the canvas? It feels like we regularly see superhero saves from officials in Muay Thai fights over in Asia, but on this occasion, it looked like the ref practically dodged Nicoll’s head.
Regardless, the finish was incredibly impressive from Aguilar, who now has five guillotines out of his six fight-ending chokes.
Accept a bout with Aguilar at your peril, Australian flyweights!
Negative – What One Burns Can Do, The Other Burns… Well, Can’t
With the watering down of the UFC product, there’s been quite a few instances of fighters entering the cage this year who simply aren’t of a sufficient quality to be competing on the sport’s biggest stage.
Herbert Burns, however, is a veteran of that group.
It’s fascinating to watch back Burns’ knockout of Nate Landwehr in 2020. I try not to buy into ‘fluke’ narratives, but that is a compelling one. Since then, the Brazilian has lost four straight by TKO, two of which have been the same type of retirement.
Against both Bill Algeo in 2022 and Jack Jenkins on Saturday night, “The Blaze” — an apt moniker for someone whose UFC career has gone up in smoke — responded to adversity by attempting to pull guard and collapsing to his back when desperation takedowns failed.
After a while of doing so in both instances, Keith Peterson and Marc Goddard waved the bouts off. With the memory of the Algeo fight growing ever clearer as Burns’ UFC 305 bout played out, I remarked to colleagues, “He’ll do it (fall to his back) enough times until Goddard stops it.” Like clockwork.
You know it’s bad when your brother’s own podcast is flaming you on social media, before hastily deleting…
Of course, credit has to go to Jenkins for his performance on home soil. Regardless of the opposition level, “Phar” looked on it in the striking realm. But his crisp boxing wasn’t enough to override the negative that is Burns’ latest disastrous display inside the Octagon.
Negative – A Mess
Well, the UFC 305 featured prelim when swimmingly, didn’t it?
The fight’s conclusion came after the Brazilian clutched onto his Aussie counterpart’s leg and locked in a heel hook. Things suddenly came to an end, with replays showing that Tafa had yelled out in pain. That stoppage ended up being controversial, not because it was wrong, but because the sport’s leading promotion employs commentators who don’t know the ruleset of what they’re tasked with describing to a global audience.
It’s remarkable to say, but we had two legendary former champions, Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz, questioning the third man inside the cage. The latter — who never shies away from using his agenda against Keith Peterson to slam referees — even went as far as to group the moment with instances of fighters having their chance to compete cruelly taken away.
Guys…Read. The. Rules.
Verbal tap out: When a contestant verbally announces to the referee that he or she does not wish to continue or makes audible sounds such as screams indicating pain or discomfort.
The fact we had to sit through five minutes of doubting the referee’s decision before texts from those better informed arrived to save the day is yet further evidence as to why Laura Sanko needs to be a permanent fixture on the commentary desk.
#UFC305 Official Result: Valter Walker defeats Junior Tafa by Technical Submission at 4:56 in Round 1.
An unhappy Tafa responded by butting heads with Walker before slapping him. The UFC has been pretty inconsistent when it comes with dealing with similar instances — Khabib Nurmagomedov continued his title reign post-instigating the UFC 229 brawl, while Paul Daley was cut and forever ousted from the promotion for his sucker punch against Josh Koscheck at UFC 113.
What happens next in the career of Tafa remains to be seen, but a release shouldn’t be out of the question.
Positive – Nightmare? I’ll Say
The welterweight division always seems to have one major prospect establishing himself as one to watch, with recent years seeing Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Garry following successful arrivals with climbs into title contention.
All signs point toward Carlos Prates joining them soon enough.
There aren’t enough superlatives to do justice to the Brazilian’s performance. He became the first man to knock out Li Jingliang, but his display was by no means defined by a sudden fight-ending sequence. Prates frankly beat “The Leech” up for the best part of nine minutes.
That’s evidently what it was going to take to get the returning Chinese fighter out of there — soften up what’s long been an iron chin with knockdown after knockdown, before uncorking one of the most clubbing hooks in recent memory to finish the job.
Add Prates to the list of, “Oh, he’s on the card? Hell yeah,” fighters in the UFC.
Considering I’m often leaping to the defense of judges, who frequently come under fire from individuals with no concept of how mixed martial arts fights are scored, it feels good to be able to grab a pitchfork this time around.
“Bigi Boy” was clinical with his performance, piecing Tuivasa up while avoiding virtually all of the home favorite’s power shots. Judge Howie Booth, however, must have gotten the red and blue corners confused because it’s hard to see any other explanation for his work at UFC 305.
Thankfully, he was relieved from his duties for the rest of the night (not that it mattered anyway given how the co-main event finished…more on that soon). But, to be honest, that scorecard is so bad that Howie probably shouldn’t be with scorecard in hand ever again.
Even hours later, I’m still trying to recall a scorecard that even comes close. Chris Lee’s 48-47 in favor of Paul Felder over Rafael dos Anjos, perhaps?
It’s 2024 and Dan Hooker is in the lightweight top five (or at least should be come next week’s update). Redemption arcs don’t come much better than that.
Hooker entered the cage at UFC 305 with an almighty task ahead of him, getting his wish to feature on the card granted in the form of a showdown with the highly regarded Mateusz Gamrot. Be it odds, fans, or analysts, basically every metric had “The Hangman” falling short to the smothering grappling of “Gamer.”
Round one saw both men exchange knockdowns, before the second frame was more a tail of the Polish fighter’s control versus Hooker’s strikes while defending Gamrot’s wrestling. And the concluding stanza was just a war that can be summed up by two-and-a-half minutes of striking success each.
Judge that.
Two cageside scorers ultimately leant the way of “The Hangman,” and with that he’s rendered the 1-4 run he entered UFC 281 in 2022 riding a distance memory. And with three straight wins and a triumph over a name like Gamrot, he is well and truly back in the mix.
If Dustin Poirier is looking for one last hurrah…rematch, anyone?
He wants it ALL! 😤@DanTheHangman is talkin' his talk after beating Mateusz Gamrot at #UFC305!
Speaking of underdogs who made a mockery of their betting lines…
Steve Erceg was perhaps one or two ill-advised takedowns away from a shock title win in Brazil this past May. And his efforts left many heavily favoring him to bounce back at the expense of the returning Kai Kara-France at UFC 305.
But in the words of the New Zealander’s teammate Israel Adesanya, “Y’all must have forgot.”
With Kai Asakura’s signing and Kara-France’s emphatic performance on Saturday night, Alexandre Pantoja isn’t short on possible challenges. And with that, the flyweight division remains among the most exciting, and one in which you absolutely should not blink.
it always seemed unlikely that the UFC 305 main event would disappoint. It was just always going to deliver, wasn’t it? But even so, what we got in Perth was special.
Add in a bit of a feud, the story of Adesanya’s return, and Du Plessis’ continued habit of proving his sizable group of doubters wrong, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a Fight of the Year contender.
Through three rounds, I had the champ leading 29-28, but that was by no means a clear and easy score. As has been the case with the South African in the past, the tale was his power shorts versus his opponents’ volume. In the end, after that had already put him up on the scorecards, “Stillknocks” connected hard in a fourth frame that had been all Adesanya, eventually putting him down and locking in a rear-naked choke.
The positives here are all around, from the entertaining nature of the fight to the pair’s respectful exchange in the Octagon in the aftermath to Adesanya’s humble approach to another setback.
Du Plessis, of course, deserves the main plaudits. He is beginning to amass a largely unrivaled résumé in the UFC, with his 8-0 record including a knockout of Robert Whittaker and the feat of being the first to submit another all-time great in “The Last Stylebender.”
Dan Hooker will find himself back in the upper echelon of the lightweight division once again after UFC 305, as he defeated Mateusz Gamrot in a closely contested war.
Gamrot got off to a strong start in the opening round, landing damaging shots on Hooker and nearly locking him in a submission. Hooker, however, seemed to show some fire in the closing seconds of the round.
That fire continued into the second round, as “The Hangman” brought forth plenty of pressure against Gamrot, including some sharp elbows. That said, Gamrot did not relent in his offense either.
The third ultimately proved to be a very even round, with both men trading control throughout.
Two judges gave the fight to Hooker, giving the win to the Oceania fighter.
MMA Fans React To Hooker’s UFC 305 Win Over Gamrot
Im not trying to a miserable freak but this sport is so past its peak lmao. Terrible events, low skill level every card, boring cards, now we have dan hooker top 5 at LW. Nah, this sport is so passed its peak. #UFC305pic.twitter.com/Ae3C0HCDI6
Hooker has now won three straight and will be likely in for a big opportunity in his next outing. The New Zealander himself mentioned in his post-fight interview a BMF title fight with Max Holloway, a showdown with Conor McGregor and a title eliminator (or interim title fight) with Arman Tsarukyan.
This fight snapped a three-fight win streak for Gamrot, meanwhile. Entering this fight, only he and Tsarukyan had wins in their most recent fights out of those in the top five of the lightweight contender rankings.
Topping the lineup will be reigning UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis, who is tasked with getting the better of returning great Israel Adesanya if he’s to record a first successful title defense and stall the three-time ambitions of the Nigerian-New Zealander.
Also set to make the walk on Saturday night will be the likes of lightweight fan favorite Dan Hooker, heavyweight slugger Tai Tuivasa, and returning welterweight Li Jingliang.
Ahead of the event, you can get some help from the group of experts at MMA News by checking out their predictions for the UFC 305 main card here.
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Betting Odds
Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC 305 (as of 8/17), courtesy of DraftKings.
Main Card:
Dricus Du Plessis (-108) vs. Israel Adesanya (-112)
Kai Kara-France (+185) vs. Steve Erceg (-225)
Mateusz Gamrot (-410) vs. Dan Hooker (+320)
Tai Tuivasa (+200) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-245)
After unseating Sean Strickland in the American’s first defense this past January, the South African will look to avoid the same fate when he puts the gold on the line Down Under opposite former two-time champ Israel Adesanya.
Title stakes could be down the line for the co-main event winner, meanwhile, with recent challenger Steve Erceg looking to immediately bounce back from his first UFC setback against the returning Kai Kara-France.
Elsewhere on the UFC 305 card, lightweight fan favorite Dan Hooker shoots for a top-five ranking opposite Mateusz Gamrot, hard-hitting heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik likely swing for the fences, and China’s Li Jingliang makes a long-awaited comeback.
Nevertheless, every fight has remained intact, and all that remained on Friday night (Saturday local time) was for the athletes to face off one final time at the UFC 305 ceremonial weigh-ins!
Check out a stream via the official UFC YouTube channel below, followed by all the faceoffs!
The championship clash at the top of the card will see Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya’s heated feud finally reach the steel surroundings of the Octagon, with the South African’s middleweight title on the line.
UFC 305 takes place Saturday, August 17 (August 18 local time) at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT.
See above for a replay of the UFC 305 Weigh-In Show, and check out the full results below!
Main Card:
Middleweight Championship Main Event: Dricus Du Plessis (185lbs) vs. Israel Adesanya (184lbs)
Flyweight Co-Main Event: Kai Kara-France (125lbs) vs. Steve Erceg (125.5lbs)
Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot (156lbs) vs. Dan Hooker (155.5lbs)
Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa (265lbs) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (259lbs)
Welterweight: Li Jingliang (171lbs) vs. Carlos Prates (170lbs)
Preliminary Card:
Heavyweight: Junior Tafa (244lbs) vs. Valter Walker (252lbs)
Featherweight: Joshua Culibao (146lbs) vs. Ricardo Ramos (145.5lbs)
Women’s Flyweight: Casey O’Neill (125.5lbs) vs. Luana Santos (126lbs)
Featherweight: Jack Jenkins (145.5lbs) vs. Herbert Burns (146lbs)
Early Preliminary Card:
Lightweight: Tom Nolan (155.5lbs) vs. Alex Reyes (156lbs)
Welterweight: Song Kenan (171lbs) vs. Ricky Glenn (171lbs)
Flyweight: Stewart Nicoll (126lbs) vs. Jesus Aguilar (127.5lbs)*
*Jesus Aguilar missed the flyweight limit by 1.5 pounds, forfeits 20 percent of his purse
Dan Hooker has a lot to gain in his first fight of 2024 when he takes on Mateusz Gamrot this weekend at UFC 305.
“The Hangman” has produced back-to-back wins in the lightweight division over Jalin Turner and Claudio Puelles to earn himself the #11 ranking.
Gamrot, on the other hand, sits at #5 having beaten the likes of Rafael dos Anjos and Arman Tsarukyan during his time in the UFC.
Had the division’s champion, Islam Makhachev, been able to make a quicker turnaround to face Tsarukyan, who solidified his status as the number one contender by beating Charles Oliveira at UFC 300, there’s a world in which Gamrot wouldn’t need to take this fight.
Dan Hooker Says Mateusz Gamrot Has To Fight Him To Make Himself More Viable For A Title Shot
Hooker believes that his opponent this weekend in Perth didn’t take this fight because he wanted to go to Australia to test himself against “The Hangman.”
Other contenders may have chosen to wait knowing that once Makhachev does return from injury to fight Tsarukyan, he’s likely to be the next up when you look at the rest of the top five.
He has some impressive wins on his record, but as the Kiwi fighter pointed out during a recent interview on the FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Gamrot’s recent wins haven’t been dominant displays.
“Yeah I feel like they made him do it. I feel like he’s not doing it by choice. I feel like if it was a choice, he would sit out like he’s the next contender in line for a title shot. So obviously, Arman is potentially booked for Islam, I hear Islam’s injured and that’s like up in the air at the moment, but Gamrot’s the next guy. In the top five, a lot of the big names are coming off losses if you look down the (rankings), like (Dustin) Poirier, (Justin) Gaethje, Oliveira, are all coming off losses.
“Gamrot, like a close edging win after like pretty much his last two fights, he got dropped by ‘RDA’ and he got dropped by Jalin Turner and then managed to grab ahold of them and survive and panic and win, you know what I mean? So to say that this guy is the next in line for a title is very hard to market I guess for the UFC. So for in terms of Gamrot, he needs like, a big win over a guy with an exciting fighter with a big name, and so that’s me. But I’m in the game of opportunities.”
His frequent calls to secure a spot on the upcoming card Down Under were eventually answered in the form of a showdown with top-five contender Mateusz Gamrot. “The Hangman” will enter as a sizable underdog against “Gamer,” who has come under criticism in recent times for his control-heavy fight style.
And more than just Gamrot, the lightweight veteran believes a number of names high up the ladder took over the division by stifling those who have long kept up its reputation as an entertaining roster.
Hooker: Oliveira, Poirier, Gaethje, & Others ‘Stifled’ By Lightweight Grabbers
During a recent interview on the FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Hooker looked ahead to his opportunity to climb back into title contention at 155 pounds and assessed the current state of the weight class’ top five.
“The Hangman” put his upcoming opponent alongside champion Islam Makhachev and top contender Arman Tsarukyan as three names who moved toward the lightweight mountaintop by smothering any and all exciting styles.
“I guess it’s like the elites — not necessarily the elites, but lightweight is such a stacked division, there’s so many exciting fighters, (Charles) Oliveira, (Justin) Gaethje, (Dustin) Poirier, (Jalin) Turner, (Michael) chandler; there’s a lot of very exciting fighters within that,” Hooker said. “But now you can see the guys that — because obviously being an exciting fighter, wanting to go out there and perform, put on a show, put on an incredible fight for the fans, you need the other guy to oblige.
“If I go out there and say, ‘I just wanna go out there, slang some leather, put on an exciting fight,’ and the other guy’s plan is to just grab ahold of me and stifle me until he wins, then he’s gonna win,” Hooker continued. “I feel like the top echelon of the lightweight division now with Islam, Arman, and Gamrot is the guys that have just stifled the division. That’s why the lightweight division is in such a weird place now. These guys have been able to stifle the exciting guys.”
Hooker will look to put a stop to that trend and avoid being “stifled” by Gamrot at UFC 305 this Saturday night (Sunday morning local time).
Mateusz Gamrot recently predicted that the UFC 305 main event between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya would play out much like his own showdown with Dan Hooker.
UFC 305 is set to rock the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, this weekend with a stacked array of fights. The highly anticipated pay-per-view will be headlined by a middleweight title clash, where Du Plessis defends his UFC belt for the first time against Adesanya. The co-main event features a high-stakes flyweight showdown between Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg, while the main card also boasts a pivotal lightweight bout between Gamrot and Hooker.
“The Last Stylebender” enters this fight after the longest hiatus of his UFC career, following a shocking title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023. Despite coming off a defeat and a year-long layoff, Adesanya is still slightly favored to win against Du Plessis, largely due to his dominant title reign and highly technical fighting style.
However, Gamrot believes that Adesanya has some vulnerabilities that “Stillknocks” will exploit, much like he plans to do against his own opponent, Hooker…
Gamrot Believes Adesanya’s Wrestling Falls Short Of His Striking
During UFC 305 media day on Wednesday, Gamrot offered his prediction for the main event. “Gamer” acknowledged that while Adesanya’s striking is exceptional, he falls short when it comes to wrestling and grappling. Gamrot predicted that Du Plessis will exploit these weaknesses to put Adesanya under pressure, much like he intends to do against Hooker in their own bout.
“I think Dricus [will win],” Gamrot said. “I like the guy, we have a good relationship. He is good everywhere like he’s—maybe this matchup is similar to my matchup against Hooker. So, Adesanya is a high-level striker, but his wrestling and jiu-jitsu, I think, are not super. I don’t know, but I can think about that—jiu-jitsu and wrestling are not at the same level as his striking. So if Dricus takes him down, then the fight will be much easier for him, and I think the power is much different between Adesanya and Dricus. So, my prediction is that Dricus will win this fight.”
“Gamer” is riding a three-fight win streak and is set to return to the Octagon after a commanding unanimous decision victory over Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 299 this past March.
Dan Hooker recently shared an amusing story about how he struck up an unlikely friendship with a fan, despite their first encounter involving him tossing a drink at them.
Earlier this month, “The Hangman” attended a rugby match at Go Media Stadium in Auckland, accompanied by his City Kickboxing teammate Kai Kara-France, to cheer on their prized New Zealand Warriors as they faced off against the Parramatta Eels.
As the match progressed, the Parramatta Eels started to gain the upper hand, which was already enough to frustrate Hooker. But to make matters worse, a fan began taunting, pushing him past his breaking point.
In a viral video making the rounds on social media, the UFC lightweight fighter is seen dashing through the stands before launching a drink at the fan, hitting him squarely. The fan seemed intent on continuing his taunts at Hooker, who responded by playfully pretending to hurl his shoe in retaliation.
Video emerges on TikTok of Dan Hooker throwing drinks at fans at a sporting event recently 😳‼️
Thankfully, what started as a tense moment turned out to be lighthearted banter, as “The Hangman” and the fan have since patched things up and are now on friendly terms…
Hooker & Fan Plan To Catch The Next Game Together
During the UFC 305 media day on Wednesday, Hooker gave a full account of his encounter with the fan at the recent Warriors vs. Parramatta Eels game.
“So Kai invited me to watch our home team, The Warriors, and as you know, I’m a very passionate Warriors supporter,” Hooker said. “And there was another cob from the other team, the Parramatta Eels, and he was standing up there, rubbing it in. The boys were getting pumped; I think we were 20 points down at halftime, and every time they scored, he was kind of rubbing it in. So I said, ‘I’m going to start getting into this bloke,’ so we were absolutely spraying each other. It was like the most fun I’ve had at the game in a long time. And then, every time they scored, he was getting up, and he was looking at me and going, ‘Hey, you like that, Hangman?
The 34-year-old New Zealander revealed that after their playful exchange, he made amends with the fan through social media and even promised to join him for the next game at the stadium.
Usually, if you have seen me before, I throw my shoes at people, but I had my Timberlands boots on, and I don’t throw my Timberlands, so I fired a drink at them. But he messaged me after, and he’s like, ‘I wanted to grab a picture with you, where’d you go?’ And I said, ‘Oh, Kai made me leave, so I had to go home.’ But no, I messaged him. I follow him on Instagram now. I said we’ll go to the next game together, and we can just spray each other sitting next to each other.”
Hooker is currently fueled by the surge of a two-fight win streak, with his most recent triumph being a hard-fought split-decision victory over Jalin Turner at UFC 290 in July 2023. He was initially slated to make his comeback against Bobby Green at UFC Fight Night Austin last December, but an unfortunate setback forced him to withdraw after re-injuring his arm.
