On the age of 19 Gautier moved greater than 3,500 miles to Manchester from Cameroon.

He left behind six siblings, his mom and the one world he knew to affix Manchester High Workforce, the place UFC featherweight Lerone Murphy additionally trains.

If the cats – gifted to him by his coach Carl Prince – have been supposed to offer Gautier with a way of consolation after shifting, his performances counsel it’s a plan that has labored, with three first-round finishes in 2025.

Such success has put him ready to rework the lives of his household in Cameroon, most notably by permitting his mom to retire later shopping for her dream dwelling.

UFC commentator Joe Rogan not too long ago praised Gautier’s “terrifying energy, tremendous velocity and wonderful method” and hailed him because the “future” of the division.

“I all the time say the sky is my solely restrict. I have never taken off but. I am nonetheless on the bottom, so I must push myself tougher,” says Gautier.

However even after profitable 9 of his 10 fights since turning skilled in 2021, Gautier says he struggles with self-doubt.

“I see myself so low that generally I get up in the course of the night time and suppose, ‘I want to coach – I am not that good’,” he says.

“I take a look at individuals like Michael Jackson and surprise how he reached that stage, and why cannot I get there too? What’s blocking me?

“It is the identical with Muhammad Ali and Cristiano Ronaldo. How did they get there? It did not occur in in the future – it took years of onerous work.

“They did not win on a regular basis, however once they misplaced it was a lesson. If that is the mindset, you possibly can by no means really lose. Muhammad Ali misplaced, and after that he grew to become so particular.

“In 100 years I need individuals to say, ‘I wish to be like Ateba’. Not only one particular person – many individuals.”