Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight grapplers Mateusz Gamrot and Arman Tsarukyan will clash TONIGHT (Sat., June 25, 2022) at UFC Vegas 57 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It didn’t take long for Gamrot to make a splash inside the Octagon. Just four fights into his UFC career, he’s scored three finish victories and earned a spot in the rankings. At just 25 years of age, his opponent Tsarukyan has been able to take the more scenic route en route to becoming a contender. Since debuting in an incredible fight vs. Islam Makhachev of all people, Tsarukyan has consistently impressed and improved en route to a five-fight win streak.
Neither man has a ton of name value yet, but each would like cruise through at least a couple men currently in the Top 10. Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each athlete:
Mateusz Gamrot
Record: 20-1 (1)
Key Wins: Carlos Diego Ferreira (UFC Vegas 45), Scott Holtzman (UFC Vegas 23), Jeremy Stephens (UFC Vegas 31), Norman Parke (KSW 53, KSW 39)
Key Losses: Guram Kutateladze (UFC Fight Island 6)
Keys To Victory: Gamrot is wildly slick. Few other wrestlers can consistently score ankle picks from the kickboxing distance or disappear to the back so smoothly after failed takedowns, but Gamrot does it all the time! Furthermore, he’s got a nice rhythm for drawing out offense and landing counters.
Technically, Gamrot looks like the more skilled man in every aspect of the game. The problem, however, is that Tsarukyan is so damn physically gifted. Gamrot is going to be the smaller man here, and the risk of being bullied by his confident young foe is very real.
Footwork is the key to avoid such a fate. Gamrot probably doesn’t kick quite as hard as Tsarukyan, but his boxing and rhythm are more developed. If Gamrot can keep his foot moving, it will be difficult for Tsarukyan to line up his takedowns, forcing him to reach with punches and open up counters.
While landing some good shots is helpful, these two are going to wrestle. In such situations, it’s imperative that Gamrot keep the scramble going. He cannot allow himself to get stuck beneath Tsarukyan — that’s how Joel Alvarez ended up in a bloody pile on the canvas.
Counter punches and scrambles is Gamrot’s chance at overcoming that athleticism.
Arman Tsarukyan
Record: 18-2
Key Wins: Joel Alvarez (UFC Vegas 49), Christos Giagos (UFC Vegas 37), Olivier Aubin-Mercier (UFC 240), Matt Frevola (UFC 257)
Key Losses: Islam Makhachev (UFC Fight Night 149)
Keys To Victory: Tsarukyan is really a physical force at 155 lbs. Majorly strong and able to wrestle endlessly, Tsarukyan wears opponents down and breaks them. He’s more than physical talent, however, as the Armenian prospect has excellent chain wrestling and some nifty kicks in his arsenal as well.
I’d like to see Tsarukyan walking Gamrot down and blasting kicks in this match up. Carlos Diego Ferreira was finding some good success with this strategy prior to his injury, and unlike the Brazilian, Tsarukyan doesn’t really have to fear his opponent’s takedown attempts. As such, he can really limit Gamrot’s movement by blasting the calf and mid-section with kicks.
If Gamrot is a bit less mobile, Tsarukyan will have a far easier time of landing his punches. Once Tsarukyan starts feeling confident in his punch connections, he’ll find success in following those strikes with a blast double leg.
Bottom Line
Lightweight is absurdly talent rich.
Both of these combatants are excellent, well-rounded fighters with the skills to contend. It’s unfortunate that they’re being forced to pit their win streaks against one another now, rather than take on some of the more established Lightweights who haven’t recently faced top-notch up-and-comers like both halves of our main event.
For Gamrot, the pressure is really on here. He’s a few years older, and split-decision or not, he’s technically already lost once inside the Octagon. Coming up short in his first main event slot would slow his rise, leading to difficult match ups that offer less to gain. While Tsarukyan has plenty of years ahead of him regardless, that doesn’t mean the consequences aren’t high. If he can make it six in a row, Tsarukyan is a bonafide contender, ready to break into the title mix against elite opponents.
At UFC Vegas 57, Mateusz Gamrot and Arman Tsarukyan will battle in the main event. Which man will earn the victory?