Mateusz Gamrot delivers hilarious reaction to UFC Rio fight with Charles Oliveira

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 7:44 AM ET

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

It didn’t always seem like a sure thing, but Mateusz Gamrot got his wish and is stepping in to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC Rio.

Scheduled to take place on October 11 at Rio de Janeiro’s Farmasi Arena, UFC Rio was thrown into disarray recently when Rafael Fiziev was forced out of a headlining matchup with Oliveira just a few weeks before the event.

Gamrot was the most persistent of several fighters that offered to step in on short notice, and yesterday the UFC announced that “Gamer” will officially step in to meet the promotion’s former lightweight champion in Brazil.

Mateusz Gamrot Reacts To UFC Rio Fight News

It looks as if multiple social media callouts might not be enough to get Gamrot an opportunity at UFC Rio, but his coach Lukasz Zaborowski was on hand for the moment that his fighter heard he’d locked in what is arguably the biggest matchup of his career.

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A former KSW lightweight champion that joined the UFC with an undefeated record in 2020, Gamrot has beaten the likes of Arman Tsarukyan, Fiziev, and former lightweight titleholder Rafael dos Anjos in the Octagon. Following a “Fight of the Night”-winning loss to Dan Hooker at UFC 305, “Gamer” returned to the win column in May when he took a unanimous decision over Ľudovít Klein.

Charles Oliveira Looks To Avoid Back-To-Back Losses

There was serious concern that Oliveira might be pulled from UFC Rio altogether following Fiziev’s withdrawal, but the Gamrot matchup gives “Do Bronx” a high-profile fight and big chance to rebound from his most recent outing.

Now entering his 16th year on the UFC roster, Oliveira won the UFC lightweight title when he stopped former Bellator star Michael Chandler in the main event of UFC 262. The 35-year-old submitted Dustin Poirier later that year but missed out on another title defense when he failed make weight ahead of a first-round win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, and at UFC 280 the Brazilian came up short against Islam Makhachev in a fight for the division’s vacant belt.

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“Do Bronx” got the chance to reclaim the lightweight belt in another matchup for the vacant title during International Fight Week at UFC 317, where Oliveira fell to Ilia Topuria in a violent knockout loss that many fans felt warranted a longer layoff than the three-and-a-half months between UFC 317 and UFC Rio.