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Gillian Robertson Aiming To Be Undeniable
Record-Setting Strawweight Seeks Inclusion In Title Conversation
Gillian Robertson had to skip not one, but two Thanksgivings on the road to competing this weekend on the final UFC Fight Night event of the year, so, while “The Savage” is definitely excited to close out 2025 by logging another trip into the Octagon, she’s also understandably pumped to be able to enjoy the holidays to her heart’s content as well.
“I’m just excited to be able to eat for the holidays,” offered the Canadian-born Florida resident, who faces off with Amanda Lemos in one of Saturday’s most significant contests. “But this would be the cherry on top — to be Top 5 and hopefully in title contention.”
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This wasn’t how things initially lined up for the streaking Robertson, who enters the weekend on a 4-fight winning streak and having garnered victories in five of her six contests since returning to the strawweight ranks in the spring of 2023.
Originally paired off with Iasmin Lucindo, the young Brazilian was forced to withdraw and replaced by Lemos, who sits five spots in front of Robertson in the 115-pound rankings.
“After my last fight, Amanda Lemos was the name I called for, so it’s exactly what I wanted,” Robertson said. “I think it’s the perfect steppingstone on my way to the title, and she’s just the next one.”
Robetson being in the championship mix isn’t necessarily something anyone would have forecasted when she was announced to be part of the cast of Season 26 of The Ultimate Fighter. Just 22 years old and only 3-2 as a professional at the time, Robertson was all raw potential and upside, positioned opposite veterans like Roxanne Modafferi, Barb Honchak, Lauren Murphy, and DeAnna Bennett as part of a cast vying to become the inaugural UFC flyweight champion.
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Much like in Season 20 where the first strawweight titleholder was crowned, competitors were seeded in Season 26, with Robertson entering as the 15th seed in a 16-person field, landing opposite Honchak in the opening round of the competition. Though she lost to the former Invicta FC champion, Robertson kicked things off on the live finale, submitting fellow Team Gaethje member Emily Whitmire in the first round.
Saturday night, the now 30-year-old makes her 20th trip into the Octagon.
Gillian Robertson Stops Marina Rodriguez In Round 2 | UFC Des Moines
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Gillian Robertson Stops Marina Rodriguez In Round 2 | UFC Des Moines
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“It’s mind-blowing to me that I’m this far into my career, especially with the UFC,” gushed Robertson, who carries a 13-6 record with the promotion into her clash with Lemos this weekend. “I’ve really grown up (here), so it’s really just a dream come true to me.”
As much as Robertson has literally grown from a 22-year-old neophyte to a 30-year-old veteran over the course of her tenure, it’s the way her game has matured and she’s come into herself as a competitor that has stood out the most, especially since she’s relocated to the strawweight rank.
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While she has the height to compete at flyweight, Robertson was always undersized physically in the 125-pound weight class, which makes the fact that she earned eight victories and seven finishes there a testament to her talents. She won more than she lost, but the attacking submission ace stumbled when paired off with more experienced opponents and competitors that were able to leverage their size and physicality against her.
Despite coming off a submission win over Mariya Agapova to close out her 2022 campaign, Robertson began her 2023 slate by dropping down to strawweight and submitting Piera Rodriguez, claiming a Performance of the Night bonus for her efforts. After a competitive loss to Brazilian contender Tabatha Ricci, Robertson caught fire, posting four straight wins to ascend to No. 10 in the rankings.
“I think it’s really been my team at Goat Shed and Din Thomas,” Robertson. “We’re really putting things together, and I’ve really come into my own.”
Evidence of that growth and development can be seen in the fact that the grappling specialist hasn’t clocked a submission win since tapping out Rodriguez in her divisional debut. Her last two finishes — a January 2024 win over Polyana Viana and her most recent triumph over Brazilian standout Marina Rodriguez — came by way of technical knockout.
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“I feel like girls are giving me the TKOs now because they’re scared of the submissions,” Robertson said. “A lot of times in my fights now, girls go to give their backs to me, and their corners start freaking out like, ‘No! No! No!’ and they go straight back to their backs, so it allows me to elbow them, allows me to get the TKO, and it opens up that opportunity a little bit more.
“That’s the goal,” she added. “We wanna make her feel like she’s in trouble no matter where she’s at. I want her to be in trouble on the feet, when we’re wrestling, on the ground… There is always gonna be an opportunity to finish and I want to make sure these girls know they’re always in danger.”
Gillian Robertson Submits Piera Rodriguez | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Allen
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Gillian Robertson Submits Piera Rodriguez | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Allen
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If her opponents weren’t already aware of it watching her compete, a quick perusal of the UFC record books would illustrate that fact clearly as well.
Even though she’s spent her last two years competing at strawweight, Robertson still holds the record for the most finishes in the history of the UFC women’s flyweight division (seven) and the most submission finishes in the history of the division (six). She also own the most submission wins in UFC women’s history (seven), and is tied with Hall of Famer and former 2-division champion Amanda Nunes for the most finishes (10) in UFC women’s history.
With a resume full of accolades and the longest active winning streak of anyone in the Top 15 (tied with Denise Gomes), all that is seemingly keeping Robertson from entering the title picture is a signature victory over an established title contender, and Lemos unquestionably fits that bill.
The 38-year-old, who resides at No. 5, fought for the title at UFC 292, landing on the wrong side of the cards against Zhang Weili. She has maintained her place amongst the division’s elite since, registering a win over current champ Mackenzie Dern and Lucindo, while suffering setbacks against recent title challengers Virna Jandiroba and Tatiana Suarez.
“I think if I go out there, have a great performance — I think I’ve proven myself in the past to be one of the most exciting female fighters, and I think I just have to go out there and do that,” Robertson said. “Obviously, I would like to get a finish, top up my records — I’ll have the most finishes out of any woman, the most submissions out of any woman.
“I think would make me undeniable.”
It’s hard to argue otherwise.
UFC fight Night: Royval vs Kape took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 13, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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