Mateusz Gamrot

UFC Vegas 31 Preview: Jeremy Stephens – Mateusz Gamrot

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Jeremy Stephens

Tomorrow night on the main card of UFC Vegas 31, we will see a fun matchup in the lightweight division. Former top featherweight contender Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) is moving back up to 155 pounds to take on Mateusz Gamrot (18-1,1 NC).

UFC Vegas 31 is a massive fight for Jeremy Stephens. This is his first fight in over a year and he’s gone 0-4, 1 NC in his last five fights. It’s been a brutal stretch for Stephens, but it is worth noting his competition level.

If you look at Stephens record over the past few years, it’s not impressive. Stephens has gone 5-9, 1 NC in his last fifteen fights. That said, he’s been facing top tier talent along the way and has never really lost to bad competition.

His last nine UFC losses have come against: Calvin Kattar, Yair Rodriguez, Zabit Magomedsharipov, Jose Aldo, Renato Carneiro, Frankie Edgar, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Cub Swanson. That is quite the elite list of guys so even though he has nine UFC losses in his last fifteen fights, it’s not insanely alarming.

That said, he needs a win big time tomorrow night. It’s not going to be easy as he takes on Poland’s Mateusz Gamrot. Gamrot dropped his UFC debut by split decision last year but bounced back quickly with a knockout win over Scott Holtzman. The ATT fighter is looking to make a big statement tomorrow night.

UFC Vegas 31 Prediction

Heading into UFC Vegas 31, I really have no doubts in who I think has the better skillset. To me, there’s no doubting the fact that Mateusz Gamrot has the better skills. Gamrot has good grappling and he’s slick on the feet.

He looks like he can become a real contender at 155 pounds. That said, Jeremy Stephens is the one in this fight that possesses the nuclear option. With Jeremy Stephens, he’s always just one punch away from capturing another UFC knockout.

Despite that, I’m going with Gamrot tomorrow night. I just believe that the overall skills will really play here. Expect Gamrot to mix things up to keep Stephens off-balance all night. I don’t think you’ll see a finish, but I also don’t think there will be controversy here.

Prediction: Mateusz Gamrot by Unanimous Decision

UFC books Jeremy Stephens – Mateusz Gamrot

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Jeremy Stephens

The UFC has finalized a lightweight matchup that will take place in July. MMA Junkie was the first to report today that the promotion has finalized a matchup between Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) and Mateusz Gamrot (18-1, 1 NC).

The contest will take place at a UFC Fight Night on July 17th. Last night we also learned that Islam Makhachev – Thiago Moises will also be on the July 17th Fight Night. This fight is a big fight for Mateusz Gamrot.

The former KSW lightweight champion will be making just his third appearance in the UFC. Gamrot made his debut back in October and the Polish lightweight suffered his first career loss. He lost by split decision to Guram Kutateladze on Fight Island.

Gamrot bounced back in April when he knocked out Scott Holtzman in the second round of their fight. Jeremy Stephens still has a big name and a decent following so this is a huge spot for the UFC newcomer. A win over Stephens would likely get him someone in the top fifteen.

UFC return for Lil Heathen

Jeremy Stephens will be making his lightweight return on July 17th. However, he was supposed to make his lightweight return last month. Stephens was set to take on Drakkar Klose (11-2-1) just a few weeks ago.

Both men weighed in, but everything went south at the pre-fight faceoffs. Stephens shoved Klose and he shoved him so hard that there was whiplash which caused Klose to suffer a concussion.

After a rough night dealing with those symptoms, the UFC called off the fight. It was an extremely stupid move by Stephens and ended up costing him a payday. Now, he’s getting a new opponent.

Originally, the promotion was going to book Klose and Stephens again, but have decided to move in a different direction. Now, Stephens will try to snap his four-fight losing streak against a very hungry challenger in Mateusz Gamrot. Should be a good one on July 17th.