Mateusz Gamrot set to serve as backup for Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira at UFC 294

08/10/2023 21:00

Mateusz Gamrot will hit the scale and serve as the backup for the lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 on Oct. 21.

Sources close to the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Saturday after Gamrot initially mentioned his role as the backup during an interview in his native Poland.

Gamrot gets the role as the backup after he secured a win over Rafael Fiziev in his most recent outing, which moved his UFC record to 6-2 overall. The fight ended after Fiziev suffered a knee injury, which was ultimately a torn ACL that required surgery.

While it wasn't the way he wanted to win, Gamrot still got the nod so now he'll have the opportunity to backup the UFC 294 main event just in case someone fails to make weight or cannot compete. Backup fighters have rarely been used but it must be noted that Oliveira actually missed weight for a past title fight, which puts Gamrot on deck if that happens again.

The lightweight title fight is a rematch after Makhachev dominated and finished Oliveira in their first encounter. Oliveira bounced back with a win over Beneil Dariush to secure a second opportunity to face Makhachev with the title on the line.

UFC 294 takes place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.