Gregor Gillespie

Gregor Gillespie
Gregor Gillespie at UFC Fight Night 143
Born	Gregor Volz Gillespie [1] (1987-03-18) March 18, 1987 (age 37) Webster, New York, U.S.
Other names	The Gift
Residence	Long Island, New York, U.S.
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) [2]
Weight	155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
Division	Lightweight
Reach	71 in (180 cm)
Style	Wrestling
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Long Island, New York, United States
Team	Long Island MMA Bellmore Kickboxing Academy
Rank	Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Joe Scarola and Carlos Rosado [3]
Wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling [4]
Years active	2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	15
Wins	14
By knockout	7
By submission	5
By decision	2
Losses	1
By knockout	1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Edinboro Fighting Scots NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships 2007 Auburn Hills 149 lbs PSAC Championships 2006 Slippery Rock 149 lbs 2008 Mercyhurst 157 lbs 2009 Edinboro 157 lbs EWL Championships 2006 Edinboro 149 lbs 2007 Cleveland 149 lbs 2008 Pittsburgh 157 lbs 2009 Lock Haven 157 lbs

Gregor Volz Gillespie ^[1] (born March 18, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and graduated collegiate wrestler who currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2012, he formerly competed for Ring of Combat where he was the Lightweight Champion.

As a folkstyle wrestler, Gillespie was the 2007 NCAA Division I National Champion at 149 pounds, a four–time NCAA Division I All–American and a three–time EWL and PSAC conference champion for the Edinboro Fighting Scots. ^[5] He also competed briefly in freestyle wrestling. ^[6]

Background

Born and raised in Webster, New York, Gillespie attended Webster Schroeder High School where he was a standout in wrestling, winning two state titles. He continued wrestling for Edinboro University, where he was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American and won a national championship in 2007. ^[7] He was the first true freshman All-American in school history, and also holds the school record for most career wins (152), most wins as a freshman (40), and highest winning percentage (.917). Gillespie stated that he ended his wrestling career because he didn't think he could beat Jordan Burroughs. He graduated from Edinboro with a bachelor's degree in individualized studies and a concentration in psychology. ^{[8] [4]} He was an assistant coach at Hofstra University and as a side gig, taught private lessons to an MMA fighter. Despite having vowed never to fight, he started studying MMA and quit his job in order to pursue a full-time career in the sport. ^[9]

Mixed martial arts

Early career

In 2012, Gillespie was scheduled to make his mixed martial arts debut but suffered a broken arm during a sparring session which caused serious health issues and infections, pushing his debut over to January 2014. ^[10] After compiling an undefeated 7–0 record with six finishes on the regional scene in New Jersey, Gillespie signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. ^[11]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Gillespie made his promotional debut against Glaico Franca on September 24, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 95. ^[12] He won the fight via unanimous decision. ^[13]

Gillespie next faced Andrew Holbrook on April 8, 2017, at UFC 210. ^[14] He won the fight via knockout in the first round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus. ^{[15] [16]}

Gillespie faced Jason Gonzalez on September 16, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 116. ^[17] He won the back-and-forth fight via submission in the second round. ^[18] The win also earned Gillespie his first Fight of the Night bonus award. ^[19]

Gillespie faced Jordan Rinaldi on January 27, 2018, at UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson 2. ^[20] He won the fight via technical knock out. ^[21]

Gillespie faced Vinc Pichel on June 1, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 131. ^[22] Gillespie won via arm-triangle choke in the second round. ^[23] This win earned him Performance of the Night award. ^[24]

Gillespie faced Yancy Medeiros on January 19, 2019, at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw. ^[25] He won the fight via TKO in the second round. ^[26]

Gillespie faced Kevin Lee on November 2, 2019, at UFC 244. ^[27] He lost the fight via knockout in round one, marking his first professional defeat. ^[28]

Gillespie was expected to face Brad Riddell on March 20, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 21. ^[29] However, the bout was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols in the day of the event. ^[30] Instead, Gillespie faced No-Gi Jiu Jitsu World medalist Carlos Diego Ferreira on May 8, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 24. ^[31] At the weigh–ins, Ferreira weighed in at 160.5 pounds, four and a half pounds over the lightweight non-title fight limit and was fined 30% of his purse, which went to Gillespie. ^[32] After a back-and-forth first round, where Gillespie appeared to fatigue, he was able to keep composure and rallied, winning the fight via TKO in round two. ^{[33] [34]} This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. ^[35]

Championships and accomplishments

Folkstyle wrestling

• National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • NCAA Division I 149 lbs - 7th place out of Edinboro University (2006) ^[36]
  • NCAA Division I 149 lbs - 1st place out of Edinboro University (2007) ^[36]
  • NCAA Division I 157 lbs - 5th place out of Edinboro University (2008) ^[36]
  • NCAA Division I 157 lbs - 4th place out of Edinboro University (2009) ^[36]

Mixed martial arts

• Ring of Combat
  • ROC Regional Lightweight Championship (One time) ^[37]

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Jason Gonzalez and Carlos Diego Ferreira ^{[38] [35]}
  • Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Andrew Holbrook and Vinc Pichel ^[23]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

15 matches	14 wins	1 loss
By knockout	7	1
By submission	5	0
By decision	2	0

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	14–1	Carlos Diego Ferreira	TKO (elbows and punches)	UFC on ESPN: Rodriguez vs. Waterson	May 8, 2021	2	4:51	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Catchweight (160.5 lb) bout; Ferreira missed weight. Fight of the Night.
Loss	13–1	Kevin Lee	KO (head kick)	UFC 244	November 2, 2019	1	2:47	New York City, New York, United States
Win	13–0	Yancy Medeiros	TKO (punches)	UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw	January 19, 2019	2	4:59	Brooklyn, New York, United States
Win	12–0	Vinc Pichel	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	UFC Fight Night: Rivera vs. Moraes	June 1, 2018	2	4:06	Utica, New York, United States	Performance of the Night.
Win	11–0	Jordan Rinaldi	TKO (punches)	UFC on Fox: Jacaré vs. Brunson 2	January 27, 2018	1	4:46	Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Win	10–0	Jason Gonzalez	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch	September 16, 2017	2	2:10	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States	Fight of the Night.
Win	9–0	Andrew Holbrook	KO (punches)	UFC 210	April 8, 2017	1	0:21	Buffalo, New York, United States	Performance of the Night.
Win	8–0	Glaico França	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg	September 24, 2016	3	5:00	Brasília, Brazil
Win	7–0	Sidney Outlaw	Decision (split)	Ring of Combat 55	June 3, 2016	3	5:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Defended the ROC Regional Lightweight Championship.
Win	6–0	Jose Mariscal	TKO (punches)	Ring of Combat 54	March 4, 2016	1	4:09	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Defended the ROC Regional Lightweight Championship.
Win	5–0	George Sheppard	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Ring of Combat 51	June 5, 2015	1	3:45	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Won the vacant ROC Regional Lightweight Championship.
Win	4–0	Justin Stewart	TKO (punches)	Ring of Combat 50	January 23, 2015	1	2:51	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	3–0	Justin Harrington	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	Ring of Combat 49	September 19, 2014	1	3:21	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	2–0	Brandon Priest	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Ring of Combat 48	May 16, 2014	2	2:37	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	1–0	Kenny Gaudreau	TKO (punches)	Ring of Combat 47	January 24, 2014	1	1:48	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Lightweight debut.

NCAA record

NCAA Championships Matches
Res.	Record	Opponent	Score	Date	Event
2009 NCAA Championships 4th at 157 lbs
Loss	19–6	Jordan Leen	0–4	March 19–21, 2009	2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	19–5	Michael Chandler	MD 10–2
Loss	18–5	Jordan Burroughs	MD 4–12
Win	18–4	J.P O’Connor	1–0
Win	17–4	Jason Welch	3–2
Win	16–4	Shane Smith	TF 16–0
2008 NCAA Championships 5th at 157 lbs
Win	15–4	Josh Zupancic	TF 15–0	March 20–22, 2008	2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Loss	14–4	Dan Vallimont	1–2
Win	14–3	Cyler Sanderson	Fall
Win	13–3	Matt Kocher	1–0
Loss	12–3	Jordan Leen	6–8
Win	12–2	Jason Johnstone	6–0
Win	11–2	Spencer Maley	TF 17–0
2007 NCAA Championships at 149 lbs
Win	10–2	Josh Churella	SV 3–1	March 15–17, 2007	2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win	9–2	Dustin Schlatter	3–2
Win	8–2	Jordan Leen	6–2
Win	7–2	Dan Vallimont	MD 10–2
Win	6–2	Sam Alvarenga	9–5
2006 NCAA Championships 7th at 149 lbs
Win	5–2	Mark DiSalvo	Fall	March 16–18, 2006	2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Loss	4–2	Jon Masa	4–11
Win	3–1	Patrick Simpson	8–1
Loss	2–1	Ty Eustice	4–2
Win	2–0	Keith Dickey	Fall
Win	1–0	Trevor Chinn	Fall

Stats

Season	Year	School	Placement	Weigh Class	Record	Win
2009	Senior	Edinboro University of Pennsylvania	4th	157	41–3	93.18%
2008	Junior		5th		37–4	90.24%
2007	Sophomore		1st	149	34–2	94.44%
2006	Freshman		7th		40–4	90.91%
Career					152–13	92.12%

See also

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "STATE OF NEVADA" (PDF). boxing.nv.gov. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
2. "Stats | UFC".
3. @gregorthegift (February 14, 2020). "This has been 9 years in the making, I've sacrificed so much to get this piece of cloth ...to all the guys that I've beaten....yes you were actually beaten by a white belt. Thanks to professor @graciebarrajupiter and @graciebarra631nb professor Carlos. #bluebelt #bjj #jiujitsu #jiujitsulifestyle" . Retrieved June 6, 2021– via Instagram.
4. "Gregor Gillespie | UFC". UFC.com. 14 September 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
5. "Gregor Gillespie Wrestling Training". longislandwrestling.org. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
6. Doctor, Urgent (2012-10-11). "Gregor Gillespie 'Faced The Demons' and is Getting Ready For MMA Stardom". New York Wrestling News 2012-2013 Archive. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
7. Gallo, Ed (2019-11-01). "Wrestling for MMA: Gregor Gillespie". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
8. "Gregor Gillespie Wrestling Training".
9. Steven Marrocco (January 18, 2019). "How a Frankie Edgar fight foreshadowed Gregor Gillespie's MMA career". mmajunkie.com.
10. "LI's Gillespie excited to begin MMA career". Newsday. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
11. Zane Simon (2016-09-21). "Welcome to the UFC Gregor Gillespie". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
12. Ryan Gerbosi (2016-08-04). "LI's Gregor Gillespie to make UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 95 in September". newsday.com. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
13. Steven Marrocco (2016-09-24). "UFC Fight Night 95 results: Gregor Gillespie stays unbeaten, dominates Glaico Franca in UFC debut". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
14. Staff (2017-02-22). "Gregor Gillespie vs. Andrew Holbrook booked for UFC 210 in Buffalo". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
15. Ben Fowlkes (2017-04-08). "UFC 210 results: Gregor Gillespie knocks out Andrew Holbrook in 21 seconds to stay undefeated". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
16. Tristen Critchfield (2017-04-08). "UFC 210 Bonuses: Oliveira, Burgos, Rosa, Gillespie receive $50K Awards". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
17. Staff (2017-08-12). "Gregor Gillespie vs. Jason Gonzalez added to UFC Fight Night 116 in Pittsburgh". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
18. "UFC-Pittsburgh results: Gregor Gillespie taps out Jason Gonzalez in absolute barnburner". MMAjunkie. 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
19. Mazique, Brian. "UFC Fight Night 116 Results, Bonus Winners, Fight Scores, Highlights, Attendance & Gate Info". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
20. "UFC adds 3 bouts to stacked Fight Night Charlotte card; tickets go on sale Friday". charlotteobserver. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
21. "UFC on FOX 27 results: Gregor Gillespie pounds out Jordan Rinaldi for first-round TKO". MMAjunkie. 2018-01-28. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
22. Staff (2018-02-28). "Gregor Gillespie vs. Vinc Pichel added to UFC's 'Fight Night' event in Utica, N.Y." mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
23. "UFC Fight Night 131 results: Gregor Gillespie stays perfect, taps Vinc Pichel in second". MMAjunkie. 2018-06-02. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
24. "UFC Fight Night 131 bonuses: You know Marlon Moraes won $50,000 for that KO". MMAjunkie. 2018-06-02. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
25. Mark La Monica (2018-12-20). "Gregor Gillespie to face Yancy Medeiros at UFC Brooklyn". newsday.com. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
26. Dave Doyle (2019-01-19). "UFC Brooklyn results: Gregor Gillespie finishes Yancy Medeiros in final second of round two". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
27. Farah Hannoun (2019-09-30). "Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie targeted for UFC 244 in New York". MMAJunkie.com . Retrieved 2019-10-01.
28. Richardson, Andrew (2019-11-02). "Lee Knocks Gillespie Out With Huge High Kick!". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
29. Marvin France (2021-02-19). "Brad Riddell again left frustrated by MIQ voucher system after booking big UFC bout". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
30. Mike Bohn (2021-03-20). "COVID-19 protocols cause Gregor Gillespie vs. Brad Riddell scratch from UFC on ESPN 21". mma fighting.com. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
31. A Brett Okamoto (2019-04-13). "Sources: Diego Ferreira-Gregor Gillespie bout added to UFC Fight Night card on May 8". espn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
32. Alexander K. Lee (2021-05-07). "UFC Vegas 26 weigh-in results: Marina Rodriguez, Michelle Waterson make weight for headliner, two other fights cancelled". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
33. Doherty, Dan (2021-05-08). "UFC Vegas 26 Results: Gregor Gillespie Digs Deep, Stops Diego Ferreira". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
34. Bonada, Author Frank (2021-05-09). "Gregor Gillespie Gets The Ground & Pound Finish Over Diego Ferreira - UFC Vegas 26 Results (Highlights)". MiddleEasy. Retrieved 2021-05-09.{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
35. "UFC on ESPN 24 bonuses: Gregor Gillespie gets $100,000 because Diego Ferreira missed weight". MMA Junkie. 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
36. Gallo, Ed (2019-11-01). "Wrestling for MMA: Gregor Gillespie". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
37. "Ring of Combat 51 | Lou Neglia's Ring of Combat | Next Generation of Mixed Martial Arts!" . Retrieved 2019-02-24.
38. Mazique, Brian. "UFC Fight Night 116 Results, Bonus Winners, Fight Scores, Highlights, Attendance & Gate Info". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-09-17.

External links

• Gregor Gillespie at UFC
• Professional MMA record for Gregor Gillespie from Sherdog