{"id":781815,"date":"2026-07-06T03:11:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T03:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/781815\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T03:11:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T03:11:09","slug":"gillian-robertson-could-make-mma-history-as-canadas-first-female-ufc-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/781815\/","title":{"rendered":"Gillian Robertson Could Make MMA History As Canada’s First Female UFC Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gillian Robertson isn\u2019t just fighting for a title, but the chance to stamp her place in MMA history. Throughout the course of the past thirty-three years, the UFC<\/a> has produced some amazing Canadian talent. We have seen legendary champions, as well as fan favorites that have imprinted their names in Mixed Martial Arts history. Despite the Canadian impact, there has been one piece of the puzzle that has remained aloof. That is the coronation of a female champion. Robertson has the potential to change that come Saturday, August 15th, 2026.<\/p>\n

Somewhat under the radar, Robertson has quietly been surging her way up the UFC<\/a> rankings. Previously of the flyweight division, she has added to her impressive resume down in the strawweight division. While some fighters look to make noise with their mouths, Robertson has shown consistent performances over the past nine years. Her relentless MMA grappling style, which she pairs with the most submissions in women\u2019s MMA history, has made her undeniable. With Weili Zhang out due to injury, Robertson is getting a crack at gold and making history.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s MMA Gold Standard <\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to speak about the rich legacy that Canada has had in MMA. The country has produced some big names, none bigger than Georges \u201cRush\u201d St-Pierre. The superstar was a part of bringing the sport into the mainstream and also put Canada on the map in the world of MMA. He was extremely athletic, humble, and professional. He also put together an almost unmatched resume that has me listing him as my second-best MMA fighter of all time.<\/p>\n

\"GillianMar 3, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Georges St-Pierre speaks during a press conference to promote his middleweight title bout against Michael Bisping (not pictured) prior to weigh ins for UFC 209 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images <\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s MMA talent doesn\u2019t stop there, though. They have produced another world champion, Carlos Newton, who was also a welterweight and paved the way for St-Pierre. Some other notable elite MMA talent from up north includes Rory MacDonald, Sarah Kaufman, and Mark Hominick. Jasmine Jasudavicius, Aiemann Zahabi, and Mike Malott have been continuing that legacy, but Robertson is leading the charge.<\/p>\n

A New Chapter In Canadian Women\u2019s MMA <\/p>\n

Women\u2019s MMA might have joined the game late, but the evolution has been nothing short of impressive. While the early pioneers were few and far between as they opened the doors, we are at the point where women have become complete mixed martial artists. As more divisions were created, we have seen phenomenal careers play out from names such as Ronda Rousey, Amanda Nunes, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Valentina Shevchenko.<\/p>\n

Many countries have produced women\u2019s UFC champions: Brazil, China, Poland, Kyrgyzstan, and Mexico have all seen their ladies with the strap, and yet the important market that is Canada has not. Robertson<\/a> has the opportunity to change that. She currently trains out of Florida and is originally from Ontario, Canada. She is an alumnus of the reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter.<\/p>\n

\"GillianJun 10, 2023; Vancouver, BC, Canada; Amanda Nunes celebrates her victory by decision against Irene Aldana following UFC 289 at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports Gillian Robertson\u2019s Unique Path To The Title <\/p>\n

As previously alluded to, Robertson has never relied on promotion or hype to drive her career. Instead, she has become one of MMA\u2019s biggest submission threats, regardless of gender. Through her amateur career, The Ultimate Fighter, and UFC tenure, she has shown elite MMA grappling ability utilizing a \u201cSavage\u201d top game. She\u2019s also shown tremendous improvements in her striking and fight IQ. She appears to be in the prime of her career and is beaming with confidence, and says that she\u2019s chasing Charles Olivera\u2019s UFC submission record. <\/p>\n

Robertson might have been flying a bit under the radar as she\u2019s been ascending to the top, but she\u2019s been extremely active, and fans are finally taking notice. While many fighters look for favorable matchups, Robertson has shown the willingness to fight anyone at any time. The UFC loves to give fighters who employ this mindset opportunities, and this appears to be no different. This makes it very easy for fans to get behind someone that they perceive could be an active champion.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your take? Post it in our free sports community at\u00a0stadiumrant.app<\/a>, or download\u00a0Stadium Rant<\/a>\u00a0on the App Store.<\/p>\n

End Of My Gillian Robertson Rant: Canada\u2019s First Women\u2019s UFC Champion? <\/p>\n

Much like in other sports, some athletes only reach the mountain top once, and some never do. I can\u2019t emphasize the magnitude of the opportunity at hand enough. While Robertson should be extremely proud of her journey, even if she fails, she still has time to climb that mountain again. It\u2019s time to capitalize on the moment and make Canadian sports history. Robertson has the talent, momentum, and drive to get it done. I\u2019ll be tuning in to UFC 330 to witness the potential history in the making. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gillian Robertson isn\u2019t just fighting for a title, but the chance to stamp her place in MMA history.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":781816,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,85],"class_list":["post-781815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/781816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=781815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=781815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}