DWCS 52 winner Mateusz Rebecki tired of fighting strikers, hopes to draw grapplers moving forward

LAS VEGAS – MAteusz Rebecki wants to test his mat skills against top-tier grapplers in the UFC.

Rebecki (16-1) needed just one round to submit Brazilian striker Rodrigo Lidio (12-3) with a rear-naked choke to earn a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series 52 on Tuesday.

Rebecki had to walk through a huge head kick from Lidio before getting a takedown, but once he was able to keep him down, it was smooth sailing for the Polish fighter. Rebecki doesn’t care whom he fights next, but he’d rather face a grappler over another striker.

“It doesn’t matter for me,” Rebecki told reporters, including MMA Junkie. “I’m a normal fighter. I want to soon get some fight with anybody – it’s not a problem. Maybe just opponent who tries takedowns, a different style. Every one of my opponents is a striker. Maybe change my style of opponent.”

Rebecki earned high praise from UFC president Dana White for his performance and he’s happy to see his work getting recognized on the big stage.

“It’s very important for me that Dana White watches my fight and I just want to show my best performance, and I do this,” Rebecki said. “It’s good for me.”

He continued, “It’s good because I’ve been training really hard and someone sees this and understands how I’ve been doing everything to be here and show what I do.”