Ateba Gautier’s fifth UFC fight is reportedly booked but fans aren’t sold on the matchup.
Joe Rogan was full of praise for Gautier following the win streak that he’s put together since joining the roster in 2024.
The 23-year-old clearly has tons of potential but there have been questions around whether he’s been truly tested inside the Octagon.
Criticisms of Gautier’s last fight didn’t help the reaction to the reported matchup that awaits him on May 9.
Joe Rogan says Ateba Gautier is the “future” of MMA. Do you agree? 🤔
Let us know in the comments which top prospect you are tipping for greatness inside the cage.
Fans push back against Ateba Gautier vs Ozzy Diaz report for May 9
Marcel Dorff reported on March 3 that Ateba Gautier will make his return to face Ozzy Diaz at UFC 328 on May 9 in the middleweight prospect’s fifth Octagon outing.
Diaz, who is 1-1 under the UFC banner, was meant to face the surging knockout artist last year at UFC 320 before he was replaced by Tre’ston Vines due to an injury.
Gautier went on to smash Vines in 101 seconds, with the reaction from fans online suggesting that they want to see the 10-1 Cameroonian face more difficult tests at this stage.
One user theorizing that the UFC is ‘really taking their time with this dude’ is clear to see when you look at the 21-year-old’s progression.
That didn’t stop others from growing tired of this process, with responses like, ‘Can crusher’ and ‘Jesus, they are just handing him KO wins.’
One comment joked that ‘Ateba damn near might be 70-1 by the end of his career’, with another post saying that this style of matchmaking ‘Makes me not even wanna be interested in him anymore.’
Several others referenced how Diaz has been rebooked against the same opponent, with one fan saying, ‘Damn, they really weren’t letting Ozzy get away from this one.’
Ateba Gautier’s UFC opponent’s records
While Ozzy Diaz will be the second opponent that Ateba Gautier will face who has a win in the UFC, the stats show that he’s not taking big steps in terms of opposition with each win.
After debuting against the recently cut Jose Medina, the middleweight star was able to continue smashing through opponents before Andrey Pulyaev took him all three rounds.
| Ateba Gautier’s UFC opponents | MMA record (when they fought) | UFC record | Result |
| Jose Medina | 11-5 | 0-4 | Gautier via KO – R1 |
| Robert Valentin | 10-5 | 0-3 | Gautier via KO – R1 |
| Tre’ston Vines | 10-3 | 0-1 | Gautier via KO – R1 |
| Andrey Pulyaev | 10-3 | 1-2 | Gautier via unanimous decision |
| Ozzy Diaz | 10-3 | 1-1 | NA |
Even then, Pulyaev had to survive knockdowns in the first two rounds to make things more competitive in the third.
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