Ateba Gautier was called the 'future' by Joe Rogan, but he's more interested in what his cats think
Ateba Gautier may be among the most intimidating fighters ever to step foot inside an octagon, but there's a lot more to the man tipped as the future of the UFC.
On May 10, the UFC held what many have claimed was the best event of the year so far at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Sean Strickland stole the show in the main event as he reclaimed his middleweight title with a surprise split decision victory over Khamzat Chimaev following a heated rivalry between the pair.
But further down the card there was another middleweight who demanded recognition as he put in a dominant performance that has firmly put him on the map.
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Dubbed the 'scariest fighter in the world' by the MMA organisation's own YouTube channel, Gautier is a serious contender in the middleweight division and a man that is not to be messed with.
He faced Ozzy Diaz in the featured prelim of UFC 328 and made the most of the opportunity, picking up a second round knockout with a single overhand right hand before taking the microphone to call out former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
But what is the story behind such a formidable fighter? SPORTbible sat down with Gautier ahead of his fight to learn about the man behind the frightening highlight reel of knockouts.
Born in Yaounde, Cameroon, Gautier started training MMA when he was 17 years old before making the move to Manchester three years ago, where he now trains with the likes of Lerone Murphy at Manchester Top Team.
“I just wanted to see where it would take me; as a fighter in Cameroon you don’t have the goal to be in the UFC," he admitted.
"The first guy who got to the UFC from Cameroon was Francis (Ngannou) and then people started to believe.
"I really appreciate watching people in the UFC, but as a Cameroon-born, you can't really have this dream.”
However, after picking up wins in several other organisations, Gautier became undeniable and earned a place on Dana White's Contender Series where he secured a round two KO over Yura Naito to book his place in the UFC.
Since then, the 24-year-old has built up an unbeaten run of five straight wins, four of which have come via KO, tallying six knockdowns in his UFC career so far.
His performances have drawn attention from the likes of UFC legend Joe Rogan, who labelled Gautier 'terrifying' and the future of the middleweight division.
But Gautier is acutely aware of what this kind of attention, and the negative reactions that come with rising through the UFC ranks, can do to a fighter's ego. While grateful, he tried to pay little attention to such comments.
"I really appreciate him for saying that, but I don't let that get into me that much," Gautier said.
"If Joe Rogan says something about you, I'm very happy because that means I'm doing something right. It's very important and as a young fighter, that pushes me more.
"But that means I put myself under lot of pressure now. I want to prove it but not to prove to people, I don’t give a f*** about proving it to people, I want to prove it to myself.
"People are not there when I'm suffering. You see me, like, for 5, 10, 15 minutes, that's it. You can't judge me in 15 minutes, in five minutes, in 10 minutes, in one minute. You really can't judge me.
"The people around me, you know, my coach, my team, those people know me. So, if they judge me, I will listen. But if anybody else does something, f*** that, man, just f*** that."
Michael Jackson, Cristiano Ronaldo and the two pet cats inspiring the UFC's scariest fighter
Despite the success of his countryman Ngannou in UFC, there are two other, less expected, men who Gautier looks to for inspiration.
Rather than a fellow rising UFC star or an MMA legend, he explained that football great Cristiano Ronaldo and music legend Michael Jackson are just two of the figures he admires for their elite 'championship mindset'.
“You don't need to have your inspiration from people who do the same thing as you, you know. It's not about fighting, it's about the mindset," Gautier explained.
"Cristiano Ronaldo's mindset is very tough, very good, hard working, that's what I like from him. I'm not a big fan of football, but I'm watching him because his mindset, the way he's dedicated all his life on this sport, what he wants to achieve.
“Michael Jackson, the same thing. He just sacrificed everything just to be focused on one thing. So, why shouldn’t I be that focused? Because I'm not a singer? No, someone doesn't have to do the same thing as you to be and inspiration for you.
"The mindset, they have such a good mindset, a world champion mindset.
"I see myself like that. Even if it's not the same thing, it's not the same sport, I'm going to get there.”
And when he's not in the cage, there is one thing that Gautier enjoys doing more than anything else, and it is certainly not would you would expect from a man building a career as the most devastating knockout artist in the UFC.
"I’m always with my cats. I really, really, really, really love cats," he said while showing off his custom-made cat jumper.
"I have two cats, Lili and Mya back in Manchester. They're waiting for me, you know. They're waiting for my victory, then we're going to get them some food, some treats after the victory."
Following his devastating knockout over Diaz, it's safe to say that Lili and Mya will be enjoying plenty of celebratory treats with Gautier for the foreseeable future as he chases down a shot at the UFC middleweight title.
Fans in the UK can watch the UFC live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, MMA, Spotlight, UFC, Joe Rogan
Ben McCrum