LAS VEGAS – Mateusz Gamrot claims he’s bringing “crazy conditioning” into Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 284 main event, and it will be up to Quillan Salkilld to find an answer.
Gamrot (26-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) will put his ranking on the line against surging contender Salkilld (12-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in a five-round lightweight bout at Meta APEX (Paramount+), and it’s a familiar situation for the Polish fighter.
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The past two wins for Gamrot have come against rising names in Esteban Ribovics and Ludovit Klein. He derailed them, and he’s eager to do the same against Salkilld.
“I feel like world champ, brother,” Salkilld told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 284 media day. “I have nice number in the ranking and everyone wants to take my number. I understand this position. OK. I invite you to cage. Let’s fight. I’m happy to fight against Quillan because his style is perfect for me.”
Gamrot said he is giving the Aussie his full focus and holds complete respect for the danger that will stand across from him in the octagon. And he especially welcomes Salkilld to engage in his world.
“He’s a dangerous kid,” Gamrot said. “He’s tall, young. He looks strong. Kick-heavy style. I need to be careful. But I love when he try taking people to the ground. He’s used some wrestling stuff. I hope he’s going to keep the same strategy for me because there’s going to be lots of scrambles and non-stop action. I love when people try to take me down to the ground. There’s a lot of hype around him, but to be honest, I don’t care. I know what I bring to the table.”
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If Gamrot is successful at UFC Fight Night 284, he would improve to 6-2 in his past eight fights, with the lone blemishes coming to Charles Oliveira in a short-notice main event and Dan Hooker in a debated split decision.
Although the 35-year-old made it clear he’s not overlooking Salkilld, he is hopeful for a shift from testing the division’s emerging contenders to another more high-profile name.
“I put 100 percent focus on my next fight,” Gamrot said. “I don’t think so much about what’s next. There’s a lot of great names in the lightweight division. I can fight with everybody. My goal (for the belt) never changed. I will fight with everybody.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Mateusz Gamrot brushes off Quillan Salkilld’s hype: ‘I don’t care’
