Gillian Robertson is on a losing streak for the first time in her career heading into UFC 269. She knew that she needed to make changes in order to get back on track and fight for the title someday.
She took a step back from fighting and focused on training and participating in grappling bouts. She could stay busy while also working on improving her game.
“Oh, yeah,” Robertson told ClutchPoints. “100%. I feel like just from fighting in general, I needed to kind of take a step back and just like, really reassess my game, just obviously, coming off two losses, just correct a lot of things in my game, just all around. And I just can't stay away from competition, though. I love it. So since I was trying to stay away from fighting a little bit, I tried to stay a little bit more active in the grappling scene, and I've had a lot of fun out there.”
The step back doesn't mean Gillian Robertson has stopped training, quite the opposite. She has been using preparation for UFC 269 as an opportunity to get everything the way she wants it.
“I have been still training 100%. But I feel like it's just about getting my camp into the way that I want and really just getting my life all together. Getting everything situated to really make sure that I'm in the right position physically and mentally to go on a title run at this point.”
Gillian Robertson used to train at American Top Team until her coach Din Thomas left the gym. She followed him when he started his own gym for almost two years.
She's remained fiercely loyal to Thomas, even when no one else was at his gym. Currently, Jose ‘Shorty' Torres has been the other constant in Thomas' gym. They have figured out their groove and they cross-train with other gyms and training partners.
“Everything's going great,” Robertson said of her training camp ahead of UFC 269. “Still primarily with Din and working with David Evans and ‘Shorty Torres' more than anything else, we travel a lot go to different gyms, get work, different bodies there. That's always a good thing, getting different looks, getting kind of those nerves out. Every time you go to a different gym, a new scenario, it's just a little bit nerve-wracking. That's the exact same feelings you're gonna get when you walk in the cage. Like, you don't know what that girl's really gonna bring. You have hundreds of fans there. And it's a completely different scenario. So it's like, I feel like just being exposed to that so often has just been such a blessing.”
The problem with going to other gyms is the unknown that comes with it. You never know who's going to be crazy in sparring or who's going to go light. It can be difficult to assert yourself in an unknown situation.
“When it comes to like, who's gonna be too crazy, who's gonna be anything like that, I just try to match people's pace. So it's like, if we're going light, we can go light, but if you want to pick up the pace, we can pick it up. I guess, just me being socially awkward, it's just going in there and sitting in the corner and just not knowing like, trying to find a partner in the first place. That's the hard thing in any of the gyms that I don't know. Most of the girls that I feel like the world is so small, so it's like all the girls are welcoming. And it's been awesome to get work at every single gym that I've been to.”
Gillian Robertson has a strong reputation as a grappler and many people see her stand-up as something to exploit. Part of taking a step back from fighting was working on aspects of her game that she knew weren't as good as her grappling.
“Honestly, I feel like my hands have improved in these last like, since March, since my last fight. I feel like I'm a completely different fighter than I was then. And I've just really seen myself change 100%. But we obviously know where my strong point is, where I'm trying to get the fight and I feel like I'm trying to go in there to finish, so it's like we might play on the feet a little bit more. And I feel like I am more confident. Ideally, I want to be a threat everywhere. I want girls to be scared of me on the feet, scared of me in the wrestling, scared of me on the ground. If I get them on the ground and they want to stand back up, then it's like they don't have a safe spot. No matter what. So it's like that's the ideal point we're trying to get to as an MMA fighter.”
Gillian Robertson takes on Priscila Cachoeira at UFC 269 on Saturday. The bout is a high-stakes one as she looks to get back on track and show off her improvements.
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