Mateusz Gamrot earned a huge win over Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC Vegas 57.
The UFC Vegas 57 main event looked to elevate one of Arman Tsarukyan and Mateusz Gamrot to the upper echelon of the lightweight division.
A chance for the next generation to shine, both Tsarukyan and Gamrot were undefeated since their respective promotional debuts for the UFC. Gamrot, a former KSW double champ, had won three straight, Tsarukyan five.
Tsarukyan came up short with his first combination then tried to take Gamrot down. Gamrot withstood the effort and had a deep single leg, but Tsarukyan stayed balanced. Tsarukyan landed a leg kick followed by a combination. Gamrot threw a leg kick, but it was caught by Tsarukyan and turned into a takedown. Gamrot tried to scramble once, but Tsarukyan kept top position. His second attempt was more successful, taking the back of Tsarukyan briefly. A head kick grazed Gamrot, who then caught a body kick and tried to turn that into a takedown, but Tsarukyan stayed balanced again. There was a wild scramble to end the round that ended with Tsarukyan over Gamrot.
Gamrot caught another kick to start the second round. He then landed a right hand over the top. Tsarukyan snapped a body kick and shot for a takedown that Gamrot defended well. Tsarukyan landed a pair of leg kicks then a takedown, but Gamrot swept him almost immediately into a stalemate position. They returned to the feet with arms interlocked, and Tsarukyan whiffed on a huge elbow attempt. Tsarukyan seemed to hurt Gamrot with a body kick late in the round, but he rebounded with a big right hand at the end of the round.
Tsarukyan immediately landed a body kick to start the third round. He then clocked Gamrot with a big right hand, who shot for a desperation takedown to stop any offense from his opponent briefly. Tsarukyan was then taken down for the first time of the fight after a big right hand from Gamrot. Gamrot hung on after Tsarukyan got to his feet and scored another takedown. With about 90 seconds left in the round, Tsarukyan broke free. Gamrot stuffed a Tsarukyan takedown attempt then held onto a single leg, but Gamrot stayed balanced this time. Tsarukyan landed a pair of big body kicks to cap off the round.
Gamrot landed a clean right straight early on after a wild exchange. Gamrot landed a strike but Tsarukyan responded with a quick takedown. That takedown was reversed by Gamrot and they returned to the feet. A big body kick connected for Tsarukyan, but he was taking down by Gamrot twice in quick succcession. The second time around, Gamrot was able to take him down.
Gamrot went down early in the final round, but popped back up quickly to land a big right hand. Gamrot was able to score a big takedown in the final round, but after Tsarukyan got back up, he was able to defend the next several attempts. With 30 seconds left, Gamrot scored another to put a stamp on the close fight.
Mateusz Gamrot def. Arman Tsarukyan by Unanimous Decision (48-47)
