There are only two fighters in the lightweight Top 15 that are currently on a longer winning or unbeaten streak than Klein — champion Islam Makhachev, who has won 15 straight, and Paddy Pimblett, who is 7-0 in the UFC and has won nine straight overall.
Klein touches down in Las Vegas, where he takes on Top 10 mainstay Mateusz Gamrot, on a four-fight winning streak and unbeaten in his last seven. The 30-year-old Slovakian has been a victim of bad circumstances and has unfortunately fallen into the shadows as others around him have garnered marquee wins in big spots to move forward in the division, while he’s remained stuck on the outside of the rankings, desperate for a chance to face someone with a number next to his name.
He was scheduled to face veteran fan favorite Jim Miller two summers back, but was forced out with an illness, and a bout against Spanish finisher Joel Álvarez failed to materialize last year. At the same time, lightweights like Ignacio Bahamondes and Thiago Moises, both of whom Klein has beaten during his current winning streak, found their way into quality pairings and prime spots on fight night, with Bahamondes briefly earning a place in the rankings following his win over Jalin Turner at UFC 313.
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he faces off with Gamrot, a battle-tested divisional stalwart coming off a gutsy split decision loss to Dan Hooker last August in Perth. The Polish veteran is 7-3 inside the Octagon and an impressive 24-3 with one no contest overall, including a win over fellow top contender Arman Tsarukyan.
Jumping from facing Roosevelt Roberts on short notice last September in Paris to sharing the Octagon with “Gamer” on Saturday is a major step up in competition for Klein, but also a chance for the streaking lightweight to catapult himself into the thick of the chase in the talent-rich 155-pound ranks if he can maintain his winning ways.
