Rising women’s strawweight contender Jillian Robertson has been having trouble finding opponents to enter the Octagon.
“Savage” was originally scheduled to face Iasmin Lucindo at UFC on ESPN 73 in December, but Lucindo was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an undisclosed injury. Lucindo was replaced by former champion Amanda Lemos, who was sidelined on fight day with an oral injury. The two will compete at UFC Vegas 114 on March 14.
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Robertson will enter the game ranked eighth in the division and riding a four-game winning streak. Robertson plans to call for a title shot if she defeats the fifth-ranked former champion.
“I feel like this is my chance to get closer to the title shot. You know, I’m going to call it after this,” Robertson told UFC Unfiltered.
“I just feel like I have to go out there and make myself undeniable when I compete, you know? I have to go out there and finish and show that I’m excited. I feel like not a lot of girls are trying to do that right now and it’s exciting to actually finish,” she continued.
“I feel like the biggest thing on social media right now is that when a women’s fight starts, guys always like to take a bathroom break. I want to break that stigma and I want to show that the UFC knows that when I go out and fight, I’m trying to break the stigma.”
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If she can beat Lemos to secure a match against champion Mackenzie Dunn, Robertson would love the fight. This will be a fight between two of the highest level fighters in the division.
“I think this fight has been years in the making, you know? She comes from jiu-jitsu, is a no-gi and do-jitsu champion, and I have the most submissions in women’s MMA. So, it seems like everyone wants to see this fight, and I thought what better way to do it than to fight for the belt,” Robertson said.
“I think my style really suits her. I think she’s aggressive, but it’s an unchecked aggression and, you know, she leaves a lot of holes. She’s going to attack you, she’s always going to attack you, but there’s going to be opportunities to exploit that.”