5 Things You Might Not Know About Mateusz Gamrot

Now nine bouts deep into his Ultimate Fighting Championship tenure, Mateusz Gamrot still finds himself on the periphery of title contention in the fiercely competitive lightweight division.

The 33-year-old Pole will try to maintain his current position at 155 pounds when he locks horns with City Kickboxing mainstay Dan Hooker in a featured UFC 305 attraction this Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Gamrot owns a 7-2 record in the organization and enters the Octagon on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. He last suited up at UFC 299, where he executed 11 takedowns, piled up more than seven minutes of control time and took a unanimous decision from former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in their three-round pairing on March 9.

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As Gamrot approaches his forthcoming battle with Hooker, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He excelled from the jump.

Gamrot, a decorated amateur wrestler, made his professional mixed martial arts debut as a 21-year-old in February 2012 at an X Fight Series event in Poznan, Poland. There, he prompted a second-round doctor stoppage against Arbi Shamaev and began establishing himself as one of Europe’s top prospects. Gamrot started his career on an 18-fight unbeaten streak, going 17-0 with one no contest.

2. Regional mining expeditions were an unmitigated success.

The Bielsko-Biala, Poland, native was a two-division champion in the well-regarded Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki promotion. Gamrot laid claim to the company’s vacant lightweight crown with a three-round unanimous decision over Mansour Barnaoui at KSW 35 on May 27, 2016 and took home the vacant featherweight title with a five-round unanimous decision over Kleber Koike Erbst at KSW 46 on Dec. 1, 2018.

3. He covers all his bases.

Gamrot splits his training camps between Czerwony Smok in Poznan, Poland, and the acclaimed American Top Team academy in Coconut Creek, Florida. More than 5,000 miles separate the two gyms.

4. His talents have taken him far and wide.

“Gamer” has competed in six different countries as a mixed martial artist. In addition to his native Poland, Gamrot has fought in Wales, England, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Australia soon joins the list.

5. When opportunity knocks, he answers.

Gamrot holds the record for the fastest submission via kimura in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. He needed just 65 seconds to put away Jeremy Stephens with the maneuver at UFC on ESPN 26 in 2021. It remains the only kimura submission for Gamrot in 27 career appearances.