This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 57, we saw a big time showdown in the lightweight division. Top fifteen contenders Mateusz Gamrot (21-1) and Arman Tsarukyan (18-3) went head-to-head.
This was such an intriguing matchup due to the styles of both men. Both men have incredible grappling skills so going into the fight, I was incredibly interested to see how the grappling battle would unfold.
Through the first two rounds, it unfolded exactly how I thought it would. Neither man was able to land takedowns and instead, they battled on the feet. When they were at striking range in the first couple of rounds, Tsarukyan did a fantastic job of landing big and powerful kicks.
These significant shots put him ahead 2-0 on all three scorecards. However, Gamrot really showed his main event experience in rounds three through five at UFC Vegas 57. After neither man saw success in grappling early, Gamrot was able to land takedowns and get some control in the main event rounds.
Despite the takedowns and control, they were still close rounds. For that reason, I wasn’t sure how the judges would score it. I had it 3-2 for Gamrot and it turns out all three judges saw it the same and he won by unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 57.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 57?
This was a huge win for Mateusz Gamrot as he looks to pierce into the top ten of the lightweight division. With this big win on Saturday night, there’s no question that Gamrot should be getting a top ten opponent in his next fight out.
The question is, who will the UFC give him? After the fight was over, he called for a fight with Justin Gaethje. Personally, love where his mind is, but I don’t see that fight coming together at all. Think he would need another win before he could get a shot at someone like Gaethje.
For Gamrot, I’m thinking of the guys just in front of him and there happens to be a UFC main event pairing two of them up very soon. In a couple of weeks Rafael Fiziev and Rafael Dos Anjos will battle in a Fight Night Main Event.
Whoever wins that fight would be perfect for Gamrot and I think that’s the direction the UFC will likely go in. Only if RDA wins and they have bigger plans for him could that be thrown off, but I think Gamrot will find his next opponent in a couple of weeks.