“Mini Ngannou” is ready to make another violent statement. Fast-rising Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier returns to action against Russia’s Andrey Pulyaev on the UFC 324 ‘Prelims’ this weekend (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gautier had an incredible rookie year, starching all three of his opponents […]
“Mini Ngannou” is ready to make another violent statement.
Fast-rising Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier returns to action against Russia’s Andrey Pulyaev on the UFC 324 ‘Prelims’ this weekend (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Gautier had an incredible rookie year, starching all three of his opponents in the first round: Jose Medina at UFC Mexico City, Robert Valentin at UFC 318, and Tre’ston Vines at UFC 320. Despite the highlight-reel finishes, the 23-year-old doesn’t believe 2025 was as impressive as it looked on paper.
“The biggest lesson for me last year was that I wasn’t good enough,” Gautier told UFC.com. “I wasn’t good enough because I did many mistakes in those fights. If I did mistakes, it means I wasn’t good enough.”
That self-criticism is part of what has made Gautier one of our most intriguing unranked fighters on the roster heading into 2026. A Cameroon-born knockout artist with rare physical gifts, Gautier has quickly built a reputation for overwhelming power, relentless pressure, and bad intentions from the opening bell. He’s also been vocal about wanting to stay active and evolve quickly — just like he did last year.
Standing across from him will be his stiffest test to date.
Pulyaev has proven durability, having gone the distance with fellow prospect Christian Leroy Duncan, and has been stopped just once in his professional career — a regional-scene knockout back in 2023. Still, Gautier doesn’t see any path to victory for his opponent.
“I’m gonna start this year with a bonus,” Gautier said. “No matter what, I will finish him. He’s never faced somebody like me. He’s never faced someone hungry like me. I’m not hungry —I’m starving.”
“You can’t stop me. You can’t stop ‘The Storm.’ Only God can stop me,” Gautier continued. “When people go to fight, they take it as just as fight —I take it as a war. I don’t joke with my opponents. Every punch I land is full of bad intentions. I’m not there to play.”
Gautier enters UFC 324 sporting an eye-popping 89 percent finish rate, with eight knockouts, seven of them coming in the first round — numbers that suggest Pulyaev will have very little room for error on Saturday night.
To checkout the latest and greatest UFC 324 news and notes click here.
Category: General Sports
