Gregor Gillespie had an exhausting first round, then was able to push the pace and finish Diego Ferreira in the second at UFC Vegas 26.
After seeing his return fight back in March fall through the day of, Gregor Gillespie was giving another go Saturday at having his first bout since 2019. The only problem, opponent Carlos Diego Ferreira missed weight by a hefty margin for the lightweight bout, necessitating a 160.5lb catchweight at UFC Vegas 26.
The fighters exchanged jabs to start the fight, and the first striking exchange was initiated by Gillespie, who landed a left hook. He then faked up top and landed a hard low kick. Gillespie then shot for a takedown and had to avoid a leg lock attack, but Ferreira used it to take top position briefly. Gillespie continued to scramble, getting back on top then standing up. On the feet, Ferreira began to open up and landed several right hands that caught Gillespie’s attention. Gillespie shot for a takedown but was held up and ate a downward strike from Ferreira. Gillespie then landed a takedown and Ferreira immediately began scrambling. A few sweep attempts were thwarted by Gillespie, but an omoplata was able to turn things around for the Brazilian. Before the end of the round, Ferreira took the back of Gillespie and had him flattened out, landing ground-and-pound as time expired.
Ferreira landed a right hand early on and then had to go on defense as Gillespie shot for three takedowns in succession, completing the third. Again, Ferreira was scrambling immediately, using a kimura to turn Gillespie around, but Gillespie shook it off and was able to maintain top control for some time finally. Ferreira shot up his legs for an armbar to spark the scramble again, but Gillespie took the back of Ferreira in the exchange. Ferreira tried a forward roll, but Gillespie stuck on him like glue, taking the back and eventually mounting Ferreira. He rained down punches and Ferreira was forced to roll to his stomach. Gillespie flattened him out and delivered the final blows.
After looking winded at the end of Round 1, @gregor_the_gift came back to dominate Round 2 and get the finish 😤 #UFCVegas26 pic.twitter.com/oLi7m4omsm
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 9, 2021
Gregor Gillespie def. Carlos Diego Ferreira by TKO (Ground-and-Pound) in Round 2 (4:51)
