Athletes
Gillian Robertson Is Eyeing Three In A Row In 2024
After Claiming Two Big Wins Already In 2024, Ranked Canadian Strawweight Gillian Robertson Is Looking To Complete A Hat Trick Of Successive Victories
Gillian Robertson is in form and looking to continue her rise up the UFC's strawweight rankings this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Prates.
The 29-year-old Canadian has already written her name into the record books as the female fighter with the most submission finishes in UFC history. Now she's looking to stack wins, however they come, as she attempts to move towards contender status at 115 pounds.
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Robertson went 1-1 at 115 pounds in 2023 with a submission finish of Piera Rodriguez followed by a decision loss to Tabatha Ricci. But this year, "The Savage" has looked outstanding. She kicked off the year with a second-round TKO finish of Polyana Viana at UFC 297 in a Performance of the Night display.
"I think Canada is my good luck charm, because I always get the TKO when I'm in Canada," she smiled.
But whether it's a submission or TKO or, like my last fight, I just beat the girl up for 15 minutes, I'm happy just to be able to get my hand raised in a dominant performance."
That last fight came against Michelle Waterson-Gomez, who she dominated over three rounds to claim a unanimous decision victory at UFC 303 in June. The manner of her win, coupled with the status of her opponent, made victory particularly satisfying for Robertson.
READ: Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Magny vs Prates
"Michelle Waterson is probably the biggest name I have a win over in my career," she stated.
"She's an absolute veteran in the sport. I feel like it's hard not to respect her inside and outside the cage. She's an amazing person. So yeah, I think she's one of my biggest wins."
Now, with Robertson set to compete in her third fight this calendar year, she said being able to keep a regular schedule is something she's always wanted, especially since her move down to 115 pounds.
All Of Gillian Robertson's UFC Submission Victories
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All Of Gillian Robertson's UFC Submission Victories
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"I think everybody knows it's my favorite thing to be consistent," she said.
"I love fighting, and being active in the cage at strawweight, I haven't been able to as much as I was at flyweight, so to be able to get three in this year, it feels great.
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"I think what I've had for this year has been perfect. Every six months I'm fighting, and at strawweight, that's just ideal for me. It's definitely not an easy cut for me, so six months apart is the perfect schedule for me."
Robertson takes on Pinheiro this weekend at the UFC APEX in a matchup between the division's 13th and 14th-ranked fighters. It's a matchup that pits Robertson's Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills against the judo abilities of Pinheiro, but Robertson said she's pretty sure only one of them will want to see the fight on the floor on fight night.
"I think it's going to be an interesting matchup," she said.
"I think that she's going to want to avoid a lot of the grappling exchanges, though, just with my name, you know? Most submissions in the UFC. I don't think she's going to want to go to the ground with me.
"I think she's aggressive on the feet. She throws from her hip and comes at you, charging at you. But I think I'm ready for everything she has to offer me."
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While Robertson thinks Pinheiro may adopt a "floor is lava" approach to the fight, she said she fully intends on taking her opponent to the canvas and adding to her growing list of UFC finishes. That's not to say she wouldn't love a knockout, but the Canadian admitted that she's still working on improving her striking power.
"Right now, I can pretty confidently say that most of my finishes are going to be on the ground. That's just where I am dominant," she said.
"Eventually I want to have a knockout. I want to be able to drop girls. I work on it daily, just developing the right mechanics so I can. One day that's going to happen. But right now, I think it's safe to say that most of my finishes come on the ground."
Robertson is always looking to claim her next finish, but after claiming back-to-back victories already this year, her main focus on Saturday is simply to extend that win streak to three, however it comes.
"I'm going to either get a submission, get a knockout, or just be able to beat her up for 15 minutes," she said.
"That's my only prediction for this weekend.”
UFC Fight Night: Magny vs Prates took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 12, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
