Dana White was pretty impressed with Ateba Gautier beating Yura Naito with a left hook in the second round last year in the Contender Series. The win earned him a contract, and he made his promotional debut at UFC Mexico City in March this year. After beating Jose Medina in the first round with a powerful knee, ‘The Silent Assassin’ put the middle division on notice. His first fight in the promotion saw him earn the $50K Performance of the Night bonus.
So, who exactly is Ateba Gautier, and where do his roots lie? Excitement is rife in the community about the arrival of the 185-lb contender. After all, Lerone Murphy himself claimed, “Watch Ateba now. Different breed. Gautier next world champion. 22-year-old killer!” And the UFC CEO agreed. While addressing his DWCS win, he said, “You’re going to have a bright future in this sport.”
Where is Ateba Gautier from? Ethnicity and background
Ateba Abega Gautier was born in Douala, Cameroon, on 10 April 2002. Douala is the country’s largest city and is a vibrant economic hub. While Gautier’s specific ethnicity isn’t publicly detailed, his Douala heritage situates him within the dynamic cultural mix of that region. But he definitely shares his country’s heritage with former UFC and now-PFL heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Ateba Gautier is one of the youngest talents from Cameroon in the UFC. ‘The Silent Assassin’ began competing professionally in 2021, and it took him just seven fights to get to the UFC. So, what about his moniker? Why is he called that? Let’s take a closer look.
Meaning behind Ateba Gautier’s nickname ‘The Silent Assassin’
Interestingly, Ameba Gautier shares his ring name with Brazilian welterweight Vicente Luque. But what does it mean for the Cameroonian middleweight?
Gautier hasn’t really been vocal about his nickname. But the moniker certainly aligns with his in-cage persona. As a mixed martial artist, the middleweight contender is a calm, strategic, and deadly precise fighter. As the moniker suggests, Gautier prefers to do his talking through actions inside the Octagon.
Ateba Gautier’s UFC and MMA record
Gautier has fought 8 fights as a professional MMA fighter, and out of those, he lost only one. The 23-year-old star began his MMA career with a decision win at the Africa MMA Open Championships in 2021. However, his very next bout at Budo Fighting Championship 50 ended up with a defeat via a split decision. Instead of losing his heart, he found motivation in his defeat.
Talking about the only loss in his MMA career, Gautier said, “I feel like I won this fight, but I’m happy to have lost the fight because that is my inspiration for me. Now I know how someone can feel when they lose the fight, because of their ego. High ego. You have to always be humble. Always take every single opponent like yourself, or more than yourself. So you can work more harder. Never take an opponent like a kid, like a baby. See, this loss, now I can laugh about this one. For me, oh my god, I can do better than this. This happens, and also it is a big lesson for me. I’m not ashamed to have lost this fight. I’m happy because this is my inspiration. That’s me.”
This motivation pushed him to secure four back-to-back first-round KO wins before finally stepping in to face Medina. He absolutely dominated the cage at DCWS 2024. With his eyes set on the middleweight championship belt, Gautier is currently getting ready for his second UFC fight.
So, what is the reason behind his success? Is it his family? Is the 7-1 African middleweight married? Let’s find out.
Is Ateba Gautier married? Wife and kids
Ateba Gautier seemingly likes to keep his personal life quite private. There’s no public information available to confirm whether the middleweight contender is married or not. None of the credible sources has any information regarding his significant other and children.
As of now, ‘The Silent Assassin’ is getting ready to fight Robert Valentin at UFC 318. The question is – Can he secure a win in the first round with a KO against someone like Valentin?
The post Who Is Ateba Abega Gautier? Ethnicity, Nationality, Religion, Nickname, Record, and More appeared first on EssentiallySports.