Gillian (The Savage) Robertson, top, fights Polyana Viana during the women's strawweight bout at UFC 297 in Toronto on Jan. 20, 2024.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Gillian Robertson was 16 when she walked into a gym on a whim, looking for a kick-boxing lesson.
“I never really played a sport in my life ... Going into combat sports was completely out of left field for me,” she recalled. “I just happened to walk into the right gym.”
It was Din Thomas’s facility and the former UFC fighter remains Robertson’s coach to this day. Thomas will be in Robertson’s corner on Saturday when the Florida-based mixed martial arts fighter looks to become the first Canadian woman to win a UFC title.
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Robertson (17-8-0) takes on California-based champion Mackenzie Dern (16-5-0) in the co-main event of UFC 330 in Philadelphia for the UFC strawweight (115-pound) crown.
Recalling their first meeting, Thomas says Robertson was just your average student.
“It wasn’t like she had this insatiable desire to be a fighter. She didn’t stand out as a special athlete or anything like that,” he said. “She was just a normal, quiet, shy girl looking to have some fun.”
Now fighting for a living, Robertson is still having fun and is one win away from the title.
“That’s what remarkable about her story ... Step by step if you have the desire and the hunger to be great at something, anybody can do it,” said Thomas.
Ranked fourth among UFC strawweight contenders, the 31-year-old Robertson has won five straight and seven of the last eight. She is 14-6-0 since joining the UFC in 2017 and 6-1-0 since dropping down to strawweight.
Tabatha Ricci (red gloves) fights Robertson (blue gloves) in a women strawweight bout during UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in June, 2023.David Yeazell/Reuters
“I’ve done a lot of learning in that time period. I feel like I’ve really come into my own and I’m ready for that [championship] belt,” Robertson said in an interview.
Apart from a job working at a local humane society and as a hostess at a restaurant, Robertson has always fought for a living.
“I feel like I was really made for this sport,” she explained. “From the first time I started, I absolutely loved it.”
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The love affair grew when she started studying jiu-jitsu, a discipline that revolves around problem-solving and thinking ahead.
“When I was starting off, at 110 pounds at 18 years old, and I was able to pull off these moves on guys who were like several times my size, I was just so fascinated by how powerful someone can be if you know what you’re doing,” Robertson said.
Robertson has won her way into the UFC record book en route to the title shot. Her seven submission wins are the most in UFC women’s history and she is tied with Amanda Nunes for most finishes (submissions and TKO/KO stoppages) in UFC women’s history with 10.
Charles Oliveira holds the UFC record for both finishes (21) and submissions (17).
While adept at striking, Robertson suffocates opponents when she gets them to the ground. And she is not picky in choosing ways to submit them, forcing fighters to tap out either via a chokehold or bending a limb the wrong way.
Dern’s resume is equally impressive, however.
Robertson kicks Cortney Casey in their flyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at UFC APEX in June, 2020.UFC/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
She claimed the vacant 115-pound title on Oct. 25 with a unanimous decision over Brazil’s Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.
While both Robertson and Dern are black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, they have travelled different grappling routes.
Robertson received her black belt in 2020 after years of study under Thomas, whose brand of jiu-jitsu is specifically designed for MMA.
Dern, the daughter of storied Brazilian grappler Wellington (Megaton) Dias, comes from a traditional BJJ background. The 33-year-old has held both ADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club) and IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) world titles.
“I’m more of an MMA fighter and she’s more of a jiu-jitsu girl. Luckily for me we’re fighting MMA,” Robertson said. “We’re definitely going to be in my realm more.”
Robertson is good at getting her opponents to the ground, taking down 18 of her 20 UFC opponents to date.
“Given the opportunity, she’s going to hurt you and finish you,” said Thomas.
But Dern is so good off her back that she has no concerns about being taken down. Eight of her wins have come by submission, including a strawweight-record five in the UFC.
With MMA fighters training in a variety of styles, from striking and wrestling to grappling, Robertson believes the title bout will take place both standing and on the ground.
Ricci fights Robertson in a women's strawweight bout during UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in June, 2023.David Yeazell/Reuters
“We just know certain positions that we want to stay away from and not allow Mackenzie to have those advantages,” said Thomas.
With the help of nutritionist Dawn Kelley, Robertson’s weight cut to strawweight has become easier. During this fight camp, she was allowed to treat herself to a burger and ice cream after waking up too light.
“It’s been a pretty perfect camp. Everything’s going ideally,” said Robertson.
Fighting comes with a price, however. Robertson, whose nickname is The Savage, has had to deal with chronic hip arthritis throughout her career.
“It’s definitely something I still deal with. It’s never going to go away until I do get surgery,” she said. “But we have implemented a lot of things this camp where honestly it has been just a non-issue.”
Cannabis is a key part of her recovery process.
The only Canadians to hold a UFC title were Georges St-Pierre, a UFC Hall of Famer and long-time welterweight champion who also won the middleweight crown, and Carlos (The Ronin) Newton, who became welterweight champion when he submitted Pat Miletich at UFC 31 in May, 2011.
The last Canadian to fight for a UFC title was Felicia (Feenom) Spencer who lost a unanimous decision to Brazil’s Amanda (Lioness) Nunes at UFC 250 in June, 2020.
Robertson won a unanimous decision over Brazilian Amanda Lemos last time out, in March.
Other Canadians to challenge for a UFC title in the promotion’s post-tournament era were David (The Crow) Loiseau, John (The Natural) Alessio, Patrick (The Predator) Côteé, Mark (The Machine) Hominick, Rory (The Red King) MacDonald and Valérie Létourneau (Trouble) and Alexis (Ally-Gator) Davis.
Robertson was 7 when her family left Niagara Falls, Ont., for Florida so her mother could take a nursing job in the Miami area. She now fights out of Port St. Lucie, Fla.
“Obviously being Canada’s first female champion, that’s an unreal thought for me. That means more to me than the belt does itself,” she said.
Robertson remains a proud Canadian with bright-red hair, thanks to regular use of a pigmented shampoo, a trademark.
The UFC 330 main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena sees Russia’s Islam Makhachev (28-1-0) defend his welterweight title against No. 2 contender Ian Machado Garry (17-1-0) of Ireland.