Canada’s Gillian Robertson believes she is a win away from UFC title contention

Canadian strawweight Gillian (The Savage) Robertson’s message was simple in the wake of her TKO win over Marina Rodriguez in May.

“I want Amanda Lemos next,” Robertson said.

She gets her wish Saturday in Las Vegas, although the road to the matchup with the fifth-ranked Brazilian proved to be circuitous.

Robertson, ranked 10th among the UFC’s 115-pound contenders, was originally slated to meet No. 7 Iasmin Lucindo on the Fight Night show at the UFC Apex. But the Brazilian fell off the card after failing a drug test which her camp said was the result of “contamination rather than intentional use.”

Lemos (15-5-1) was next woman up.

“This is obviously meant to be. It’s the fight that I wanted,” said Robertson, who got about eight weeks notice on the opponent switch. “I feel like it is a bit more of a bigger name. It’s going to put me in a better spot. Everything happens for a reason.”

Robertson (16-8-0) says another good finish Saturday will put her in the “perfect spot for title contention.” 

That would mean a date with American Mackenzie Dern, who claimed the vacant title with a unanimous decision win over No. 3 Virna Jandiroba of Brazil in the UFC 321 co-main event in October.

The 38-year-old Lemos was the last fighter to beat Dern, winning a unanimous decision at UFC 298 in February 2024. Lemos has lost two of three since, with a win over Lucindo sandwiched between losses to American Tatiana Suarez, the No. 2 contender, and Jandiroba.

The Dern win followed Lemos’ loss to then-strawweight champion Weili Zhang of China at UFC 292 in August 2023.

Last time out, Lemos rebuffed nine of Suarez’s 12 takedown attempts but still spent more than nine minutes on the ground controlled by Suarez. Lemos was unable to show off her striking skills until late in the fight when she hurt Suarez, but by then was too little too late.

“I’m comfortable to stay on my feet with Amanda Lemos and really just work my game there. But if we end up on the floor, then it’s definitely going my way,” said Robertson.

Saturday’s main event at the Apex pits American Brandon (Raw Dawg) Royval, ranked second among flyweight contenders, against No. 6 Manel (Starboy) Kape of Angola.

There are three other Canadians on the UFC’s final show of the year.

Bantamweight Melissa (Scare) Croden takes on Brazil’s Luana Santos, ranked 15th among 135-pound contenders, while Jamey-Lyn Horth faces Czechia flyweight Tereza Bleda.

Lance Gibson Jr., was a late addition to the card Wednesday. The 30-year-old from Port Moody, B.C., will face American (King) Bobby Greene at a catchweight of 160 pounds.

Gibson’s father, Lance Sr., fought in UFC 24 and 29 back in 2000, meaning come Saturday the Gibsons will become the third father-and-son duo to compete in the mixed martial arts promotion, following Randy and Ryan Couture and Gilbert and Elijah Smith.

The 30-year-old Robertson is on a roll, having won four straight and six of her last seven. Her record in the UFC stands at 13-6-0 and she is 5-1-0 since dropping down to strawweight.

“It’s definitely still a struggle,” Robertson said of the weight cut. “But I have the best nutritionist in Dawn Kelly. She helps me with every weight cut down to 115 (pounds).”

“Every camp has a different struggle. Sometimes it’s easier to stay focused. Sometimes I’m craving those snacks a little bit more,” she added with a giggle.

A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Robertson’s seven submission wins are the most in UFC women’s history. She is tied with Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes for the most finishes (10) among UFC women.

“Honestly I feel like I’m the only girl who’s going in these fights to finish fights a lot of times,” Robertson said. “I want to show that they’re exciting and I’m there to bring eyes to the female side of the sport too.”

In addition to submissions, Robertson can deliver beatdowns on the ground. After taking Rodriguez down early in the second round, Robertson outstruck the Brazilian 31-2 until the referee stepped in at 2:07 of the round.

“I feel like because I’ve got so many rear-naked chokes, girls don’t want to give me their back any more. So they’re more willing to just lay there. So I’m like if you’re not going to move, then I might as well start doing some damage,” Robertson said cheerfully.

Rodriguez retired in the wake of the loss, laying her gloves on the canvas. 

Robertson was seven when her family left Niagara Falls for Florida so her mother could take a nursing job in the Miami area. She now fights out of Port St. Lucie, Fla.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2025.