When former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira’s original UFC Rio opponent, Rafael Fiziev, was forced out of their bout due to injury, Mateusz Gamrot jumped at the opportunity to step in as a replacement.
A win over Oliveira would have jumped Gamrot into contender status, so he took a gamble that did not pay off. Gamrot’s coach, Mike Brown, released a statement on Sunday addressing the loss.
“We win together, we lose together,” Gamrot’s coach Mike Brown wrote 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 started his training camp for a UFC headliner scheduled on November 8. His second day in America he heard the news of Fiziev pulling out of his fight with Charles Oliviera. So like the 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.
“So Mateus trained hard for about 12 days and 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 his passion like no other. He is truly one of a kind.”
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Brown believes Gamrot gained admiration from the fans for stepping up on short notice against a legend like Oliveira in Brazil. Despite the loss, Brown thinks Gamrot still has what it takes to become world champion.
“I think the fans have great respect for his willingness to fight anywhere under any circumstance. In 30 professional fights this was the first time he was ever finished. When you are fighting the absolute best fighters on planet earth this is a possibility and bound to happen eventually. Charles himself is a legend and a former champion yet he too has stumbled in the past. My point is I still believe in Mateus and still believe he can be champion one day. It was a tough loss and a hard pill to swallow but all we can do at this point is get better. We can always get better.
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