PERTH, Australia – Dan Hooker said he loves fighting with [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] because it’s a chance to make a jump in the rankings.
But for Gamrot, who has already been tapped to be a reserve fighter in the lightweight title fight, thinks a win over Hooker should yield a title shot – and if not against champion Islam Makhachev, that should be on the shelf for a while. , then against another interim belt contender against an opponent he defeated in his first UFC main fight two years ago: Arman Tsarukyan.
“(If Hooker wins), of course he will be happy because I am ranked 5th,” Gamrot said at Thursday’s media day for UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) . “He’s ranked 11th, so it’s a gift for him (to fight me). But it’s also a gift for me because he’s a tough opponent, he has a good name and this guy has a lot of experience in the UFC. It depends on what I show in the cage (Saturday), but if I submit him, in the next fight I would like to fight for the interim title.
Islam Makhachev, if he can’t fight this year, I definitely want to fight Arman. I already beat him. He is realistic. It’s great for me. I think the fight will be easier than the first time. So first step, my 100% focus is on Dan Hooker, so if I have a really good performance, give me Arman.”
In a close fight, Gamrot (24-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) defeated Tsarukyan with a trio of 48-47 unanimous decision points in their five-round UFC on ESPN 38 headliner in Las Vegas in June 2022.
Tsarukyan has won four straight since then, including an apparent title eliminator in April against former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. But if Makhachev can’t face Tsarukyan in the near future, Gamrot wants to take things further and get in line.
Gamrot has won three straight fighting Hooker and seven of the last eight. His only loss in that stretch was to Beneil Dariush at UFC 280.
Check out Gamrot’s full Media Day interview above. UFC 305 takes place Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC 305.
This article was originally published on MMA Junkie: Mateusz Gamrot took what was available – Dan Hooker – at UFC 305, but he has a bigger idea next
