Gillian Robertson stuck to her bread and butter on Saturday at UFC 303 when he defeated the seasoned veteran Michelle Waterson-Gomez with a grapple-focused attack.
From the opening bell, Robertson (13-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) dominated Waterson-Gomez (18-12 MMA, 6-8 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30- 26) victory at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The strawweight fight was part of the preliminary card.
The fight turned out to be the final one for Waterson-Gomez, 38, who announced her retirement in the cage after the fight. The promotion had a tribute package ready and played it as she tried to control her emotions during her cageside interview with Joe Rogan, who also gasped for air.
“I’ve been thinking about this and I’ve been talking to my husband,” Waterson-Gomez said. “‘What am I if I’m not fighting?’ He told me, ‘Just because you’re not fighting in the octagon doesn’t mean you should stop fighting.’ “That really helped me accept moving forward.”
In defeat, Waterson-Gomez earned her fifth consecutive fight and seventh of her most recent eight. A professional fighter since 2007, Waterson-Gomez joined the UFC in 2015. While she did not fight for a title, Waterson-Gomez did fight numerous champions and top names, including Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas. Waterson-Gomez is also a former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion.
Robertson was in an advantageous position on the mat for almost the entire fight. Multiple armbar attempts were unsuccessful. Waterson-Gomez’s hold was enough to prevent a submission, but not good enough to get Robertson off of her. Robertson mounted Waterson-Gomez in the third round and knocked her down, but the fight ultimately went the distance.
With this win, Robertson has won two fights in a row and four of her last five. While she spent much of her career at flyweight, Robertson has found her niche at strawweight.
Updated UFC 303 results include:
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub. UFC 303.