Mateusz Gamrot edges Arman Tsarukyan in back-and-forth UFC lightweight brawl

If Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mateusz Gamrot was a look into the future of the UFC lightweight division, then that future looks awfully bright.

Gamrot beat Tsarukyan by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas. But the result could have gone either way, and both men — two of the top up-and-coming fighters at 155 pounds in the world — performed at an incredibly high level.

«This was very tough fight,» Gamrot said in his postfight interview. «Arman is high-level guy, from the new generation. I wish the best for Arman. I hope we train in the future.»

Tsarukyan was ESPN's No. 10-ranked lightweight coming in, while Gamrot was unranked, though that is likely to change. Afterward, Gamrot called out former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, who is coming off a title fight loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 274 last month.

«Justin Gaethje is the most brutal guy in the division,» Gamrot said. «I want to fight next with him.»

The last three rounds Saturday night were the difference in what was a back-and-forth, fast-paced fight. Tsarukyan took a lead early, using his body kicks to slow Gamrot and his wrestling ability to scramble away from Gamrot's takedown attempts. Gamrot was able to land takedowns later in the fight. Tsarukyan admitted that this being his first five-round contest might have contributed to some fatigue deeper in the bout.

Still, Tsarukyan dropped Gamrot with a spinning back first in the fourth round and took Gamrot off his feet with a calf kick in the fifth. Gamrot just appeared to be the fresher, more aggressive fighter in the late rounds. Gamrot accumulated 4 minutes, 58 seconds of control time, 4:24 of which came in the final three rounds, per