Gillian Elizabeth Robertson (born May 17, 1995) is a Canadian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

(MMA). She currently competes in the

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

division in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC).

Background

Robertson was born in

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. She started cardio kickboxing training at the age of 16 at American Top Team. She then joined MMA classes after a few months and started competing two years later.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Robertson started her professional MMA career since 2016 after amassed a record of 9–1 in amateur fights. After fighting in five professional bouts she participated in

The Ultimate Fighter 26 ''The Ultimate Fighter 26'' (also known as '' The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion'') is an installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. Tryouts were announced on May ...

UFC TV mma competition series and was subsequently signed by the UFC after the show.

The Ultimate Fighter

In August 2017, it was announced that Robertson was one of the fighters featured on ''

'', UFC TV series, where the process to crown the UFC's inaugural 125-pound women's champion will take place. In the preliminary fights, Robertson faced

Barb Honchak Barbara Marie Honchak (born August 30, 1979) is a retired American professional female mixed martial artist. She is the first Invicta FC Flyweight Champion. She has four wins in the Invicta FC promotion and holds notable victories over Vanessa ...

and lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Robertson made her UFC debut on December 1, 2017, on The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale against

Emily Whitmire Emily Anne Whitmire (born May 24, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA) who currently competes in the Strawweight division of the Invicta FC. She has previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background The daug ...

. She won the fight via a submission in round one. Her next fight came on May 27, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till against

Molly McCann Molly McCann (born 4 May 1990) is an English mixed martial artist. She is a former Cage Warriors Flyweight Champion and currently competes in the women's flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Early life McCann was born ...

. At the weigh-ins, McCann weighed in at 127 pounds, 1 pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126. She was fined 20 percent of her purse, which went to Robertson. She won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two. On September 22, 2018, Robertson faced

Mayra Bueno Silva Mayra Bueno Silva (born August 22, 1991) is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of March 7, 2023, she is #10 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings. Backg ...

at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders. She lost the fight via a submission in round one. Robertson faced

Veronica Macedo Verónica Macedo (born October 30, 1995) is a Venezuelan mixed martial artist (MMA) who competes in the women’s Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Early career Macedo amassed a record of 5 ...

on February 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos. She won the fight via submission in the second round. Robertson faced Sarah Frota on July 27, 2019, at

UFC 240 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor (company), End ...

. She won the fight via technical knockout in round two. In the lead up to the Frota fight, Robertson would begin training with Jose Torres and coach Din Thomas at ATT. This was beginning of their partnership once Thomas and the two fighters left ATT. Robertson faced

Maycee Barber Maycee Kaye Barber (born May 18, 1998) is an American mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 15, 2022, she is #12 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings. ...

on October 18, 2019, at

UFC on ESPN 6 ''UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 6'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 18, 2019 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Background A light ...

. She lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. Robertson was expected to face

Taila Santos Taila Santos (born June 22, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of June 13, 2022, she is #2 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings, and as of November 15, 202 ...

on June 20, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov. Due to undisclosed reasons, Robertson's opponent changed and she instead faced

Cortney Casey Cortney Ann Casey (born 5 May 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Casey is of Mexican descent. A former Divisi ...

. She won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in round three. Ahead of her fight with Botelho, Robertson was given her black belt in

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

by coach Din Thomas. Robertson described the event as emotional and joyous after nine years of work. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Robertson left American Top Team with her head coach, Din Thomas and teammate Jose Torres. Robertson faced

Poliana Botelho Poliana Botelho (born December 15, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division of Bellator MMA. She previously has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and held the Women's Flyweight Champio ...

on October 18, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 180 ''UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 180'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 38'' and ''UFC Fight Island 6'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 18 ...

. She won the fight via unanimous decision. Robertson was scheduled to face Andrea Lee on December 12, 2020, at

UFC 256 ''UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 12, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. However, Lee pulled out in early December due to a broken nose and Robertson faced

instead at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal. Robertson lost the fight via unanimous decision. Robertson was next expected to face

Miranda Maverick Miranda Rachelle Maverick (born July 1, 1997) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She competed in Flyweight division of the Invicta Fighting Championships. As of ...

UFC 258 ''UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 13, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

on February 13, 2021. However, hours before the fight, Robertson had a non-COVID related illness and the bout was cancelled. The pair eventually was reschedule to

UFC 260 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

on March 27, 2021. Robertson lost the fight via unanimous decision. Robertson faced

Priscila Cachoeira Priscila Cachoeira Gomes Da Silva (born 19 August 1988) is a Brazilian female mixed martial arts fighter. She currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Personal life Cachoeira had a troubled childhood gr ...

on December 11, 2021, at

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United State ...

. At the weigh-ins, Cachoeira weighed in at 129 pounds, three pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight with Cachoeira fined 30% of her purse, which went to Robertson. Robertson won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Robertson faced

JJ Aldrich JJ Aldrich (born September 29, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. She is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and has fought for Invicta FC. Background Aldrich was born to a ho ...

, replacing

Ariane Lipski Ariane Lipski (born January 26, 1994) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She is a former KSW Women's Flyweight Champion and currently competes in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Lipski was bor ...

, on March 12, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 203 ''UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 203'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 61'' or ''UFC Vegas 50'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 12, 2022 at the UF ...

. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Robertson was scheduled to face

Melissa Gatto Melissa Gatto Regonha (born May 2, 1996) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who currently fights in the women's flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Gatto was born and grew up in Toledo, Paraná, Bra ...

on September 17, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 210 ''UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 210'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 68'' and ''UFC Vegas 60'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 17, 2022, at the ...

. However, Gatto was removed from the event for undisclosed reasons, and she was replaced by

Mariya Agapova Mariya Agapova (born April 7, 1997) is a Kazakhstani mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Agapova started training martial arts around the age of eight in o ...

. Robertson won the fight via rear-naked choke. Robertson is scheduled to face Piera Rodríguez on April 15, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 222 ''UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 222'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 80'') is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on April 15, 2023, at the T-Mobile ...

Professional grappling career

Robertson has competed for the professional grappling promotion Submission Underground on several occasions while her MMA career was ongoing. At SUG 17 on August 30, 2020, she faced Amanda Loewen and lost by armbar in EBI overtime. She returned at SUG 20 for the promotion's end of year event on December 30, 2020, and submitted

Pearl Gonzalez Pearlmelia Marie Gonzalez (born August 12, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist. She formerly competed for Ultimate Fighting Championships, and currently fights in the strawweight division of the Invicta Fighting Championships. Backgroun ...

with a rear-naked choke inside regulation time. At SUG 22 on April 25, 2021, Robertson faced Liz Tracy and was lost by armbar in EBI overtime. She then returned at SUG 23 on May 23, 2021, where she faced top BJJ competitor Raquel Canuto and was submitted with a guillotine in regulation time. At SUG 26 on August 15, 2021, Robertson faced fellow UFC veteran

Katlyn Chookagian Katlyn Chookagian (born December 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Val ...

and won by fastest escape time in EBI overtime. Robertson also took part in a bantamweight Combat Jiu-Jitsu tournament at Medusa 1 on October 2, 2021, getting submitted with a kneebar in the opening round by Nikki Sullivan. She faced Chrissy Briggs in a grappling match on the preliminary card of Fury Pro Grappling 3 on December 30, 2021, winning a unanimous decision victory. Robertson returned to the promotion at Fury Pro Grappling 6 to face former UFC strawweight world champion

Rose Namajunas Rose Gertrude Namajunas (born June 29, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist. She is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she competes in the women's strawweight division and is the former two-time UFC Women's Strawweig ...

in the main event, submitting her with a rear-naked choke in 65 seconds.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

**Most finishes in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (7) **Most submission wins in UFC Women's history (6) **Most submission wins in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (6) **Tied (

) for most fights in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (13) **Third most wins in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (8)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 11–7 ,

, Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:19 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–7 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–6 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:36 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–4 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 , Boston, Massachusetts, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Sarah Frota , TKO (elbows) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:13 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 ,

, Submission (rear naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 ,

, Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:05 ,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 ,

, Submission (armbar) , The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:12 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 ,

Hannah Cifers Hannah Lucinda Cifers (born June 26, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight division. She formerly fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Early career Cifers made he ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Next Level Fight Club 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:12 ,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 ,

Cynthia Calvillo Cynthia Tafoya Calvillo ( , born July 13, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the strawweight and flyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of August 15, 2022, she is #14 in the UFC women's flyweight ra ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Global Knockout 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Jackson, California Jackson (formerly, Botilleas, Botilleas Spring, Bottileas, Bottle Spring, and Botellas) is a city in and the county seat of Amador County, California. Its population was 4,651 at the 2010 census, up from 3,989 at the 2000 census. The city is acc ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Miki Rogers , Submission (armbar) , Atlas Fights 29 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:16 ,

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Monica Medina , , Decision (unanimous) , FFI: Blood and Sand 20 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

Hannah Goldy Hannah Eliza Goldschmidt (born May 18, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Goldy grew up in Vermont snowboarding, running track, and competing in cross ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Square Ring Promotions: Island Fights 37 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, United States , , - , - , Loss , align=center , 0–1 ,

, TKO (punches and elbows) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion , (air date) , align=Center , 2 , align=center , 2:27 , rowspan=2,

, United States ,

Submission grappling record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Gillian Living people 1995 births Sportspeople from Niagara Falls, Ontario Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Canadian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Canadian female mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters