Dana White Reveals Backup Fighter For UFC 294 Title Fight

Dana White provided an update on a backup plan for the UFC 294 main event.
Dana White Reveals Backup Fighter For UFC 294 Title Fight
Dana White Reveals Backup Fighter For UFC 294 Title Fight /

UFC 294 is two weeks away, and although it is topped with the highly-anticipated lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira, the UFC wants to ensure the Abu Dhabi crowd is served with a high-octane main event to satisfy the MMA appetite.

At the UFC Vegas 80 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that Mateusz Gamrot, the lightweight division's No. 6 contender, will fill in if the scenario arises where either Makhachev or Oliveira can't compete. The confirmation comes after Gamrot told reporters in Poland that he secured the backup role.

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White's response was short, sweet, and to the point.

"Yeah, it's true," White said. "Yep."

This isn’t the first time the UFC has implemented a backup plan for a main event. Several years ago, the promotion suffered a plethora of injuries which saw major fights get postponed or canceled entirely.

For Gamrot, who has won six out of his last seven fights and two-straight, he’ll have a chance to make history as only the second male Polish champion in UFC history.

Nonetheless, UFC 294 will likely move forward without Gamrot’s services, but only time will tell. This is the UFC’s first trip back to Abu Dhabi since Oct. 2022, where Makhachev won the title from Oliveira.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99