Gillian Robertson sees Mackenzie Dern title bout after UFC Fight Night 269
· Yahoo Sports
LAS VEGAS – Gillian Robertson senses a strawweight title fight in her future with a strong performance vs. Amanda Lemos in the UFC Fight Night 269 co-main event.
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Robertson (16-8 MMA, 13-6 UFC) has won five of six since dropping down to 115 pounds in April 2023, and a definitive victory over former title challenger Lemos (15-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) on Saturday at Meta APEX (Paramount+) would be a strong statement for the division.
"I think with the most finishes out of anyone and the most submissions out of any women, this will be my fifth win in a row," Robertson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday's media day. "I don't see why I wouldn't deserve the title after this."
Robertson, No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie strawweight rankings, has yet to fight for a belt in her UFC tenure despite being among the all-time female leaders in wins, finishes and submissions.
At 30, she thinks now is the time, and she is compelled by a matchup against reigning champion Mackenzie Dern (16-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC), who shares similar strengths in terms of grappling ability.
"I think this is a fight that has been in the making for years at this point," Robertson said. "Mackenzie being such a highly accoladed grappler outside of the UFC, then me being the submission queen inside the UFC. It's been something everyone has wanted to see, and why not for the belt?"
Robertson must keep her focus on No. 6-ranked Lemos first, and it's no easy out. She was supposed to fight the Brazilian in December, but it was called off on fight day due to a medical issue on Lemos' side.
Although Robertson said the fight canceled stung and she "processed it a lot like a loss," eventually the rebuild took her to another level. Because of that, she said the performance of her life is coming at UFC Fight Night 269.
"It didn't happen, and I feel like this second time around has just been a complete blessing," Robertson said. "An even better camp. Co-main event now. I don't think it could go better. ... I really just need to get my hands on her, and the fight is going to be over."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Gillian Robertson sees Mackenzie Dern title bout with UFC Vegas 114 win