Daniel Cunningham
On the prelims of UFC 327 this Saturday night, we are going to see a really fun matchup in the lightweight division. Top ten flyweight contender Mateusz Gamrot (25-4) will put his ranking on the line as he takes on Esteban Ribovics (15-2).
On paper, this is a really interesting matchup choice for the UFC. Gamrot is coming off a loss to Charles Oliveira last October and he’s shared the octagon with some of the best lightweights in the world. Gamrot actually holds a win over top lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan.
Meanwhile Ribovics is 4-2 inside the octagon but he hasn’t faced anyone that’s ranked. In his last fight, he won a decision over Elves Brener and prior to that he lost a decision to Nasrat Haqparast. Ribovics is a really fun lightweight contender, but this is a big step up in competition.
Despite the step up, I actually like the underdog Ribovics in this matchup. If Gamrot can take him down and control him, that’s the easiest path to victory at UFC 327. However, I don’t see Ribovics accepting the bottom and on the feet, he has a big advantage over Gamrot.
I think Ribovics will be able to score enough on the feet to win at least two rounds and get by with a close decision vaulting himself into the lightweight rankings.
Prediction: Esteban Ribovics by Decision
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