Mateusz Szczecinski, the newly crowned Polaris welterweight champion, delivered an assessment of fellow Polish star Mateusz Gamrot‘s chances at the upcoming ADCC 2026 tournament in Poland. When asked about the prospects for Polish competitors, Szczecinski was honest about the UFC lightweight contender’s grappling prospects.
“Sorry, but I don’t think so,” Szczecinski said, turning his analysis to Gamrot. “Let’s face it, grappling at the level that these people here are doing, grappling twice a day, grappling your whole life, it’s hard to compete with something like that.”
Szczecinski emphasized the vast gap between mixed martial arts grappling and pure submission grappling at the elite level.
“Even if he knew about the tournament six months in advance and had a full training camp, it would still be hard to make up for what someone else has spent their entire life working on in just half a year.”
The Polaris champion noted that modern grapplers are specialists who dedicate their entire careers to one discipline, while MMA stars must divide their training time between striking, wrestling, and submissions.
“We are specialists after all, right? He [Gamrot] is an athlete who mixes these styles, so I think it will be very difficult.”
Szczecinski believes Gamrot faces the toughest draw possible in the 145-pound division.
“Honestly, I think he’ll be one of the biggest underdogs in the division. This 77-kilogram bracket is incredibly strong, and there really aren’t any weak competitors.”
Despite the grim forecast, Szczecinski acknowledged Gamrot’s wrestling pedigree could provide some advantage.
“Looking at Gamrot, I think he has more experience in this style than some of the others. He has competed at ADCC before. Obviously, he went in a different direction afterward, but I think his wrestling could help him get through one or even two matches if the bracket works out in his favor.”
However, Szczecinski noted that Gamrot’s UFC commitments have further complicated his preparation. With a scheduled UFC bout, Gamrot won’t have the luxury of a full training camp focused exclusively on no-gi grappling.
“The plan was for him to prepare for this for around half a year, I think. But we also have to remember that Mateusz is at the absolute peak of his MMA career, so this isn’t really the time to turn down a match.”
Szczecinski sees potential opportunities only in specific matchups.
“There are definitely some matchups that he could potentially win, especially if he can turn them into wrestling matches. I think there are opportunities for Gamrot because wrestling is where he’s strongest.”
[Editor’s Note: Quotes have been edited and translated for better clarity and readability.]
