Las Vegas, NV — Poland’s Mateusz Gamrot made the most of a short-notice assignment against Jalin Turner at UFC 285, earning a split decision win in their main card lightweight affair.
“He has full camp, I take this fight 10 days before. So happy. Winning is winning,” Gamrot (22-2, 1NC) said following the victory, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press.
Gamrot’s performance saw him return to the win column after coming up short against Beneil Dariush late last year. It most certainly keeps him in the mix, as the former KSW double champ is 5-2 in the octagon overall. “Gamer” is now looking ahead to what comes next. Specifically, after fighting down in the rankings, he wants someone ahead of him.
“Right now, I’m number seven. I take short-notice with guy number ten [Turner]. Next fight for sure I deserve a guy higher than me. Higher than me is only top five,” Gamrot stated. “Now I have to wait, because in the future [Justin] Gaethje has a fight, [Charles] Oliveira has a fight, and more fighters. I would like to come back to the octagon after summer, but the best name for me is Gaethje or Oliveira.”
Gaethje in particular is lined up with Rafael Fiziev later this month as part of the UFC 286 card in London. That’s a name Gamrot believes would be suitable for him, though he believes Fiziev will win the fight.
“I think Rafael Fiziev should win this fight, so this guy is going up around title shot, you know? And the same, I think Beneil Dariush will beat Charles Oliveira, and this guy will be around the title,” said Gamrot. “So I need next win with maybe Gaethje or Oliveira, then I will beat this guy and then I will be with the same guys around the title shot.”
Taking the short-notice fight against Turner, meanwhile, told Mateusz Gamrot something about his conditioning, he explained to Cageside Press. Or at least about having a full fight camp.
“Before this fight, I think my conditioning and stamina is really good, but this fight, round number three, my conditioning was not so good. Now I know and understand what it is when you have a full camp before a fight,” he observed. “Sometimes when you take short-notice, this is not good for your body. Next time I would like to have a full camp, full sparring partners, full training, full strength and conditioning. And then I am ready to go three to five rounds.”
Watch the full UFC 285 post-fight press conference with Mateusz Gamrot above.
