MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Vegas 57, a five-round lightweight bout between Arman Tsarukyan and Mateusz Gamrot. The event takes place on Saturday, June 25 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Arman Tsarukyan (-260)
Tsarukyan (18-2) is the No. 11 ranked lightweight in the UFC. The 25-year-old Armenian-Russian joined the UFC back in 2019 and since then he has racked up a 5-1 record in the UFC. He has beaten the likes of Joel Alvarez, Christos Giagos, and Matt Frevola, with his lone UFC loss coming against Islam Makhachev. A dominant wrestler, Tsarukyan is able to take his opponents down to the ground and then grind them out on the mat. Not only that, but he has absolutely vicious ground and pound from the top position. On the feet, he is also improving his striking, making him a truly well-rounded fighter. Overall, there is a lot to like about Tsarukyan. He appears to have all the makings of a future title contender in the UFC lightweight division, and a win over Gamrot would be huge for him. It would be the kind of win that Tsarukyan needs in order to become a real contender at 155lbs.
Mateusz Gamrot (+220)
Gamrot (20-1, 1 NC) is the No. 12 ranked lightweight in the UFC. The 31-year-old Pole joined the UFC in 2020 and he has since racked up a 3-1 record in the promotion. His wins have come over Diego Ferreira, Jeremy Stephens, and Scott Holtzman, and his lone loss came by a split decision to Guram Kutateladze. Gamrot is a former KSW champion and since joining the UFC he has looked absolutely fantastic. He is a very well-rounded fighter who is able to finish his opponents on the feet or on the mat, making him a very dangerous man to fight. Gamrot has no clear weaknesses in his game, so it should be interesting to see how this matchup with Tsarukyan plays out this weekend.
Fight Breakdown: I’m super excited for this matchup as it pits two of the top up-and-coming lightweights against each other. Typically the UFC matches up a rising star with a veteran, but in this case, they are matching two rising contenders up with each other, and I love the matchup. Both Tsarukyan and Gamrot have looked phenomenal so far in the UFC, and this fight should be nothing short of incredible to watch, with the winner of the match moving up the ladder at 155lbs. Both fighters have paths to victory in this fight, but I still think the winner will be Tsarukyan. At the end of the day, his wrestling is just so dominant that I don’t think Gamrot is going to be able to avoid it for five rounds. I’m expecting a very tough fight for both men here, but at the end of the five rounds, look for Tsarukyan to win a decision. I believe his top control is going to be the key to him winning this fight, because the more he is on top of Gamrot on the ground, the less likely he gets finished.
Prediction: Arman Tsarukyan
