Oliveira was originally scheduled to fight Rafael Fiziev in the main event of UFC Rio. Fiziev pulled out due to injury, and rumors began to swirl on do Bronxs’ next opponent. First it was Paulo Costa, then it was Benoit Saint-Denis, Manuel Torres, then anyone but Mateusz Gamrot, before finally settling on Mateusz Gamrot after all.
Why Oliveira didn’t want to fight Gamrot
Oliveira, while looking for an opponent, stated he didn’t want to fight Gamrot. This was because he had been training for Fiziev, a striker, and didn’t want to take a fight with a completely different profile on short notice. Gamrot is more of a wrestler and is a tough stylistic matchup for a submission artist in Oliveira.
Why Gamrot is the best option for the fans
While Oliveira may have not wanted Gamrot, the fans should’ve. He is the highest ranked fighter of the potential options. He also has an interesting style that should create a high level fight with Oliveira. A win for Oliveira gets him back into the conversation with the top contenders. A win for Gamrot puts him into the top 5 and into the long list of potential title contenders.
Prediction:
I think Mateusz Gamrot wins this fight. Charles Oliveira was recently knocked out by Ilia Topuria and is likely being rushed back for this card. If this card was anywhere other than Brazil, I bet Oliveira gets more time in between his fights. Because of this I think Gamrot beats Oliveira via TKO in the 2nd round.
