Mateusz Gamrot ready to step in for UFC 294 title fight

Mateusz Gamrot is not only confident that he can beat Charles Oliveira, but he is also prepared to face Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Gamrot, who is on a four-fight winning streak in the UFC, revealed that he will be the backup fighter for the UFC 294 main event, which will feature a rematch between Makhachev and Oliveira for the 155-pound title. Makhachev won the belt by submitting Oliveira in the second round at UFC 284 last year.

Gamrot confirmed his status as the backup fighter during a media scrum in Poland, and UFC president Dana White also verified the news during the UFC Vegas 80 post-fight press conference. “Yeah, it’s true,” White said.

Gamrot earned his spot as the backup fighter by knocking out Rafael Fiziev in the first round at UFC Vegas 79. After the impressive win, Gamrot called out Oliveira, saying that he wanted to test his skills against the Brazilian submission specialist.

“I would like to test myself against Charles Oliveira because he is the most dangerous guy on the ground,” Gamrot said (via MMAFighting). “My previous opponents, every time [they would] stand up, stand up, and the ground is hot for everybody. But the next one, I would like to challenge myself on the ground.

“I want to show my really good skills in jiu-jitsu. I want to show how good I am on the ground. I think this guy will be the first guy in my career who will want to fight with me on the ground.”