Gillian Robertson confident she can finish Mackenzie Dern at UFC 330
The Canadian believes Dern's aggression could play into her hands and predicts a third-round TKO victory in their title fight.
Gillian Robertson is about to face the biggest fight of her career. Next Saturday, the Canadian steps into the Octagon against Mackenzie Dern for the strawweight title at UFC 330, and she seems to already have her strategy ready.
While Robertson believes the UFC champion is underestimating her, the Canadian is confident she can use that to her advantage. Robertson says she will rely on her pressure in the later rounds and believes Dern's aggression could ultimately play into her hands.
Gillian Robertson feels Mackenzie Dern Underestimating Her
Ahead of their title bout, Robertson and Dern have exchanged light verbal barbs, but the Canadian believes the champion is underestimating her. According to Robertson, Dern has questioned her ground game and even said she didn't know who she was before the matchup. Speaking to MMA Junkie during a media tour in Toronto, Robertson said she believes the champion has not watched any of her previous fights.
"Just in the media, the things she's been saying – I feel like she doesn't like me," Robertson began. "Which I'm OK with. But I feel like she's going to be coming at me a little bit. ... She was just saying she didn't know who I was before this matchup, that she doesn't think I have a good ground game. There's a lot of things where I really just feel she's underestimating me. I honestly don't think she's ever seen me fight before."
Gillian Robertson Wants Mackenzie Dern to be Aggressive
Although Robertson believes Dern may come forward aggressively in the fight, she sees that as something that could work in her favor. The Canadian wants the champion to fight with emotion and believes that could create opportunities for her to set up her own attacks.
"I'm a little anxious about it, but I want her to be mad at me," Robertson said. "I want her to come at me aggressive. It's not like she's going to fight me harder because of something I say, or because she's angry. I just want her to fall into my traps."
Gillian Robertson Predicts Third-Round TKO
Robertson is also confident that her pressure will become a decisive factor as the fight progresses. The Canadian believes Dern's pace will fade in the later rounds while her own pressure will remain constant, leading her to predict a stoppage in the third round.
"I just feel like the later rounds, her pressure fades, and mine never does," Robertson said. "I think we're going to really see that. It feels like it's meant to be since I started doing five-rounds. Typically in my fights I do have a slower first round, then I just get better if I go. ... I'll say third-round TKO. I just feel like the belt's already mine."
With Robertson expecting Dern's aggression to create openings and her own pressure to take over in the later rounds, the Canadian already has a clear picture of how she believes the title fight will unfold. Now, Robertson will have to prove her prediction right when she faces Dern at UFC 330.
