Mateusz Gamrot and Rafael Fiziev were sadly unable to fulfil expectations in the lightweight main event of a Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 24 September 2023.
The two up-and-comers were both looking to make a statement and propel themselves into the limelight of one of the most competitive divisions in MMA, but just two minutes into the second round Fiziev fell to the ground after attempting a body kick and the match was over.
Gamrot claimed an injury TKO with the clock at 2:03 in Round 2, and although the win was not the statement the Pole would have been hoping to make, he nonetheless called out former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira (who will fight for the title at UFC 294 in just under a month’s time).
“To be honest, when I prepared for this fight, my goal was that my defence would be better than his kick," Gamrot said after his victory. "... A win is a win. I won tonight and I'm looking forward to the next one."
He added, "Before this fight, a lot of journalists thought the winner advances to the top five. But the next fight I would like to challenge myself with the next most dangerous guy on the ground, Charles Oliveira. I would like to fight this guy.”
The rest of the main card saw Bryce Mitchell outpoint Dan Ige in the featherweight co-main; Marina Rodriguez stopped Michelle Waterson-Gomez in the second round of their women’s strawweight clash; Bryan Battle submitted AJ Fletcher in the welterweight division; and the featherweight opener saw Charles Jourdain submit Ricardo Ramos.
The UFC will continue on Sunday 8 October with a Fight Night headlined by a lightweight battle between Grant Dawson and Bobby Green.
UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot – Main card results
- Main event: Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot def. Rafael Fiziev via TKO (knee injury), R2, 2:03
- Featherweight: Bryce Mitchell def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (30-27 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00
- Women’s strawweight: Marina Rodriguez def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via TKO (punches), R2, 2:42
- Welterweight: Bryan Battle def. AJ Fletcher via submission (rear-naked choke), R2, 4:32
- Featherweight: Charles Jourdain def. Ricardo Ramos via submission (guillotine choke), R1, 3:12