Mateusz Gamrot shared extensive thoughts comparing Poland favorably to the United States across multiple dimensions. He stated that Poland is cleaner, safer, more hospitable, and in many ways more modern than America. Gamrot recounted experiences in US restaurants where technology he considered outdated in Poland was being introduced as new. He criticized American social interactions as superficial, describing the typical "Hi, how are you?" exchanges as insincere, and noted that when he once answered honestly about having problems, the person didn't know how to respond. Gamrot emphasized that while the US offers career advantages for sports, quality of life isn't necessarily better, and described how even his children preferred returning to Poland despite being in Florida with palm trees and beaches. He concluded that being home makes everything easier because you know the shortcuts and aren't always last in every queue.
Mateusz Gamrot has opened up about life between continents, offering a candid and at times pointed comparison of Poland and the United States that came down firmly in favor of his home country.
The 35-year-old lightweight contender, currently ranked tenth in the UFC's 155-pound division, spoke at length about the realities of living and working in America versus returning to Poland. Gamrot, who trains out of American Top Team in Florida, made clear that while the United States provides obvious professional benefits for a fighter at his level, the quality of life does not automatically follow. Standing five-foot-ten with a 70-inch reach and carrying a 26-4 record, Gamrot has built himself into one of the more dangerous and well-rounded lightweights on the roster, averaging over five takedowns per fifteen minutes alongside a striking accuracy of 51 percent.
His observations ranged from infrastructure to culture. He described encountering technology in American restaurants that he considered outdated back home in Poland, where it had already come and gone. On the social side, he took aim at what he sees as the performative nature of everyday American interactions, recounting a moment when he answered a routine "Hi, how are you?" honestly by mentioning he had problems — only to be met with confusion from the other person. He described Polish hospitality as more genuine by comparison, and characterized his home country as cleaner and safer than he found the US to be.
Perhaps the most telling detail came from his children. Even with Florida's beaches and palm trees on offer, Gamrot said they still preferred coming home to Poland.
Why it matters
- Gamrot's comments reflect a perspective rarely heard from fighters who relocate to train in the US
- His continued base at American Top Team shows the professional calculation runs separately from personal preference
- The remarks add a human dimension to one of the lightweight division's most technically complete fighters
