Cats, sleepless nights and Michael Jackson fuel Gautier’s UFC dream

Few fighters have had a debut year that was as spectacular as Ateba Gautier in the three decades since the UFC’s founding.

The Cameroonian won three victories and two performance bonuses as a middleweight contender in 2025, moving from Dana White’s Contender Series to become one of the most entertaining prospects in the middleweight division.

However, the 23-year-old claims that the octagon was the source of one of his most prized moments of the year.

According to Gautier, “It was one of my favorite experiences of the year,” he claims of the day he adopted his twin kittens.

The affection of Gautier for his family pets, Mya and Lili, contrasts starkly with the 6’4″ prizefighter persona, which is both surprising and wholesome.

He claims that he has always enjoyed cats.

“We had seven or eight cats back in Cameroon.” Because I couldn’t have a lion or tiger, I believe I wanted cats here in England.

I adore animals. In a place like Las Vegas, where the lights are everywhere, I’ll always feel more at ease in the jungle, forest, or wild. I’m not interested in this life.

The beauty is not in parties, cameras, and lights, in my opinion. That is a bad way to spend money.

Gautier traveled from Cameroon to Manchester by more than 3,500 miles when he was 19 years old.

His only other world, which he knew, is Manchester Top Team, where UFC featherweight Lerone Murphy also practices, and his mother, who he had six siblings in.

His performances suggest a plan that has worked, with three first-round finishes in 2025, if the cats, which his coach Carl Prince gave him, were intended to give him a sense of comfort after moving.

His family in Cameroon have been impacted by his success, most notably by allowing his mother to retire and purchase her ideal home as a result.

Joe Rogan, a UFC commentator, recently praised Gautier’s “terrifying power, super speed, and excellent technique” and hailed him as the division’s future.

The sky is the only limit, I’ve always said. I haven’t yet started taking off. I need to push myself even more, Gautier says because I’m still on the ground.

Gautier claims he struggles with self-doubt despite having won nine of his ten fights since becoming a professional in 2021.

I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and think, “I need to train because I’m not that good,” he says.

“I look at people like Michael Jackson and wonder how he got there, and why can’t I, too? ” What is preventing me?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Muhammad Ali are similar. What was their route there? Years of diligent effort were required to make it happen, not in a single day.

They didn’t always win, but they learned something when they lost. You can never truly lose if that’s the way of thinking. Muhammad Ali lost, and from there, he developed a special status.

Andrey Pulyaev’s defeat on Saturday will put Gautier in contention for a spot in the rankings for the first time.

However, Gautier has loftier sporting ambitions, including putting his weight behind Khamzat Chimaev, the current world champion.

In Gautier’s eyes, the Russian defeated Dricus du Plessis last year to claim the belt, cementing his place as one of the world’s most terrifying fighters.

First and foremost, Chimaev has a good style. He excels at grappling. However, I’m Ateba, not his current or previous opponent. It will be my time when it arrives, he declares.

It won’t matter who is in front of me if it’s my turn to shine. I’ll let everyone know that this is my time.