It looks like combat sports fans should get to see rising UFC middleweight contender Ateba Gautier return to the Octagon early next year.
Following last weekend’s high-profile UFC 322 card that took place at Madison Square Garden, the UFC is set to hold its first event in Qatar this Saturday before taking a week off to end a torrid nine-week stretch of consecutive events.
Only two cards will remain on the UFC calendar for 2025 following the conclusion of UFC Qatar, and it looks like middleweight knockout artist Gautier is already preparing to return to action during the early part of the promotion’s Paramount era.
Ateba Gautier Teases Return After Stellar 2025
A month and a half removed from yet another first-round finish at UFC 320 against Tre’ston Vines, Gautier took to Instagram this week to let fans know they can expect that news of his next fight will be coming very soon.
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“Getting ready for the next one see you soon”
There’s an outside chance that Gautier could return at the UFC’s final UFC Fight Night card of the year (and of the ESPN era) in Las Vegas on December 13 given that the event currently only has 11 fights, but it seems more likely that the Cameroonian is be preparing to fight at UFC 324 on January 24.
“The Silent Assassin” Has Won 8-Straight Fights Via Knockout
Already drawing comparison to his countryman and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou, Gautier brought a four-fight knockout streak into a Dana White’s Contender Series opportunity last year and knocked out the formerly-undefeated Yura Naito in the second round to secure a UFC contract.
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Fans had to wait six months for the 23-year-old to make his formal UFC debut, but Gautier made an immediate impression when he brutally stopped Jose Medina with a knee to secure a “Performance of the Night” bonus. “The Silent Assassin” also an extra $50K for his sophomore UFC outing at UFC 318, where he needed just over a minute to stop The Ultimate Fight 31 finalist Robert Valentin.
Gautier was scheduled to meet fellow DWCS alum Ozzy Diaz at UFC 320 before he made short work of a replacement opponent in the debuting Vines, and fans will be eager to see if the Cameroonian is able to extend his current eight-fight knockout streak whenever he does return to the Octagon.
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