Gamrot Takes the Gamble, Falls Short Against Oliveira

Mateusz Gamrot rolled the dice on Saturday but walked away empty handed.

Former KSW champion Gamrot (25-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career when he was submitted by Charles Oliveira in the main event at UFC Fight Night 261 in Rio de Janeiro.

Gamrot stepped up to the plate 3 weeks ago after news broke that Oliveira’s original opponent Rafael Fiziev had pulled out of the fight due to an injury. Unfortunately for the Pole, the gamble didn’t pay off. His wrestling-heavy approach played right into the hands of his opponent, as “Do Bronx” extended his records for the most stoppage victories (21) and the most submission wins (17) in UFC history.

“We win together, we lose together,” Gamrot’s head coach, Mike Brown, wrote in a statement on Instagram.

“I’m truly heartbroken for my friend Mateusz Gamrot, but I always admire his courageousness. Gamrot is not afraid of big challenges and taking big risks. He landed in Florida three weeks ago to start his training camp for a UFC headliner scheduled on November 8. On his second day in America, he heard the news of Fiziev pulling out of his fight with Charles Oliveira.

“So, like a soldier wanting to go to battle, he campaigned hard for the opportunity to fight the Brazilian legend. A few days later, he secured the fight.

“Mateusz trained hard for about 12 days, jumped on a plane to Brazil, and took his shot. It’s always a gamble every time you step in the cage, and this time the gamble didn’t pay off. The fight didn’t go our way, but Gamrot still maintains that same warrior spirit and passion like no other. He is truly one of a kind.”

Having now lost 2 of his last 3 fights, the jury is out on what happens next for Gamrot.