After Rafael Fiziev got injured, Mateusz Gamrot stepped in to face Charles Oliveira on short notice. While ‘Gamer’ took on the risk, Oliveira needs to be just as careful because he will be preparing for a completely different opponent. He will have to change his whole game plan. No wonder he confessed it was a complicated task in an interview earlier this week.

The Polish MMA star’s impeccable grappling prowess makes him a very difficult opponent to prepare for. That’s partly the reason why Gamrot didn’t hesitate to fire back at Oliveira. “I hear you’re worried about my style, even though you had a full training camp,” he wrote on X. But here’s the thing: As effective as his 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 getting “cut by the UFC sooner rather than later.”

In the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Kamaru Usman, Cejudo started by saying, “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 consider cutting him.

‘Triple C’ added, “Gamrot is just a basic wrestler. Yeah, you can just call him 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 else, 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. Back in the day, even Khabib Nurmagomedov was criticized for his reportedly boring style. In current times, even Merab Dvalishvili and other wrestlers have been blamed for uninteresting fights.

Regardless, Oliveira will have the support of his home crowd in Rio De Janeiro. But if you ask Cejudo, he believes Gamrot could pull off the biggest victory of his career.

Henry 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 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…”

Mateusz Gamrot will definitely be looking to secure the 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.