“With two weeks left until the fight, I have to change my whole game plan. It’s very complicated,” Charles Oliveira said in a recent interview with Laerte Viana. Although ‘Do Bronx’ isn’t the type to shy away from a challenge! After Rafael Fiziev pulled out of their fight, the former lightweight champ became more cautious about facing Mateusz Gamrot on short notice. But why?  It’s because of the Polish MMA star’s impeccable grappling prowess. That makes him very difficult to prepare for. 

And that’s exactly why Gamrot didn’t hesitate to fire back at Oliveira. Taking to X, ‘Gamer’ wrote: “I hear you’re worried about my style, even though you had a full training camp. I had none, and still, I’m ready to step into the cage.” However, as effective as ‘Gamer’s style is, it may not be the most crowd-pleasing. For that very reason, former two-division champ Henry Cejudo even suggested that Gamrot could risk being cut from the UFC, even if he wins the Rio headliner with a grappling-heavy fight.

Henry Cejudo believes Mateusz Gamrot could get cut from the UFC

In the pound-for-pound podcast with Kamaru Usman, Cejudo stated, “He is a world beater, bro. So, the fact that Charles Oliveira had a quote saying, ‘I’m not training for that style.’ It made the fans put pressure on Charles and the UFC. Because Gamrot just started going off, ‘Well, if you say anytime anywhere, I’m the guy raising my hand. So fight me. So, now the fight is happening, you know what, dude. This fight right here, I don’t know if I favor Charles Oliveira on this fight.”   

Charles Oliveira holds the record for the most submission victories in UFC history, which already tells us just how dangerous he is on the ground. Still, BJJ specialists have often struggled against grappling-heavy fighters. A clear example was Islam Makhachev’s dominant performance over ‘Do Bronx’ at UFC 280, where relentless pressure and takedown attempts neutralized the Brazilian’s strengths.

With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a stretch to predict that Gamrot may look to implement a similar game plan. However, Henry Cejudo believes that while Gamrot’s grappling-heavy style can be effective, it risks boring fans. And in turn, Dana White might even consider cutting him from the promotion despite potential wins.

‘CCC’ added, “Gamrot is just a basic wrestler. Yeah, you can just call him as a wrestler. But that’s all you need in this damn game. If you’re that good at wrestling, if he has one base that can dominate everything. Like use it. You may be cut by the UFC, sooner rather than later. But you’ll win.”

And that’s not entirely wrong! Gamrot can absolutely win this fight against Oliveira if he executes his grappling well. Still, the idea of him being cut from the promotion solely because of his fighting style might be a stretch. With the former lightweight champion having the crowd behind him in Rio, many are betting on Oliveira to take the win. But, Cejudo also believes that Gamrot could pull off the biggest victory of his career.

Cejudo backs ‘Gamer’ to win the UFC Rio main event  

The UFC Rio fight night is shaping up to be particularly interesting, largely because of Charles Oliveira’s quick turnaround after suffering a brutal knockout against Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. Fans are eager to see whether the legendary Brazilian can stage a dream comeback. Adding to the stakes, Oliveira is returning to his home turf after five years, which should give him extra motivation. Still, Gamrot is gaining traction purely because of his skills.

Henry Cejudo seems convinced that the Polish fighter has the tools to secure a definitive victory. On the Pound for Pound podcast, ‘Triple C’ elaborated: “I gotta go with Gamrot, because he’s proven it against elite strikers, bro. And it’s not like… Charles Oliveira is comfortable going to his back. That’s not always a good thing, bro, because somebody that just stays basic, controls the inside tie, and ground-and-pounds—you might not get finished, but you’re just being controlled. He’s gonna control you for five rounds.”

Mateusz Gamrot will definitely be looking to secure top position and side control against Oliveira. But in doing so, he has to be very careful—if ‘Do Bronx’ finds an opening to take him back, it could be extremely difficult to get him off. The former champion also possesses some nasty punches, giving him an edge in striking exchanges.

With that said, which fighter do you think will come out on top at UFC Fight Night Rio? Will it be Gamrot or Oliveira? Let us know in the comments below.