When the fight hits the mat, Gillian Robertson is one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC’s strawweight division.
On the prelims of UFC 297, Robertson (13-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) took the fight into her world and dominated Polyana Viana on the ground. Robertson had her choice of staying in mount and raining down elbows, or going for another submission attempt on Viana (13-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC). She chose the former, forcing the referee to stop the fight at 3:12 of Round 2.
After clearly taking the first round by winning scrambles and offering multiple submission attempts, Robertson found herself in more advantageous positions on the ground in the next frame. She decided position over submission, ultimately leading the grappler to just her second TKO stoppage.
Check out video of the finish below (via X):
Gillian Robertson with a shutdown TKO 💪#UFC297 is LIVE NOW on ESPN 📺 pic.twitter.com/oQM7Fef7Mp
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 21, 2024
During her post-fight interview, Robertson made her case to face a ranked opponent in her next outing.
“I need to be ranked, I need to show the world what I’m capable of,” Robertson told UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier.
The result marked a return to the win column for Robertson, who entered on the heels of a unanimous decision loss to Tabatha Ricci. Prior to that setback, the grappling specialist picked up back-to-back second-round submissions of Mariya Agapova (rear-naked choke) and Piera Rodriguez (armbar).
Up-to-the-minute UFC 297 results include:
- Gillian Robertson def. Polyana Viana via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:12
- Sam Patterson def. Yohan Lainesse via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:03
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Priscila Cachoeira via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 3, 4:21
- Jimmy Flick def. Malcolm Gordon via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:17
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 297.
