In the Clinch – Fiziev, Gamrot Jockey for Lightweight Position, UFC Vegas 79 – It’s a bit of a logjam at the top of the UFC lightweight division, but Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot are looking to bust through at UFC Vegas 79 Saturday.
The No. 6 Fiziev (12-2-0), 30, is coming off a decision loss to No. 2 Justin Gaethje at UFC 286 in March. It was his second consecutive quality opponent, the other being former champion Rafael dos Anjos, who he defeated previously.
The two fights have sharpened Fiziev, who previously trained during Gamrot’s days as a champion in Poland’s KSW promotion. He knows he will need to be prepared to grapple to create openings for his Muay Thai striking.
Meanwhile, the No. 7 Gamrot (22-2-0, 1NC), 32, has not fought the level of UFC competition that Fiziev has. However, he is still looking to replicate his success as a two-division champion in the KSW Polish promotion. Gamrot bounced back from a Beneil Dariush loss to narrowly defeat Jalin Turner at UFC 285 in March.
The winner likely retains their position and a shot at a top-5 opponent.
Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev will rematch former champion and current No. 1 Charles Oliveira in October at UFC 294. Gaethje recently beat No. 2 Dustin Poirier in July. So both Fiziev and Gamrot have some work to do after UFC Vegas 79.
It’s a close fight on paper. One of the keys is whether Fiziev can keep the fight standing. If he can, he can use his striking to score points. He did it before with dos Anjos. But if the fight becomes a grappling contest or goes to the ground, Gamrot will have the advantage.
Fiziev and Gamrot are familiar with each other and so that could shorten the opening round feeling out process. I get the impression Fiziev would like to end it early, while Gamrot would like to grind things out.
The top contenders in the division will be watching this matchup closely.
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Rafael Fiziev
Mateusz Gamrot
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