Long Island rules in Brazil
(Long Island, NY., September 26, 2016) - Gregor “The Gift” Gillespie made an auspicious UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 95 in Brazil on Saturday, where he defeated Glacio Franca via unanimous decision.
The veteran of the ROC (Ring of Combat), Gillespie brought his perfect professional MMA record to the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brazil and dominated his Brazilian opponent from the outset.
The Long Island native, Gillespie, who trains out of Bellmore Kickboxing Academy, is a two-time New York state high school wrestling champion (Webster Schroeder) and a former NCAA Division 1 national champion and four-time All-American at Edinboro University.
Franca (13-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) tried all he could to keep the fight on his feet against the distinguished wrestler, but Gillespie (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) showed off his grappling skills throughout the bout. Gillespie’s biggest challenge was surviving a series of right punches early in the fight, one that caused his left eye to swell up. Gillespie did survive the combinations early on and took control of the fight in the third round by getting Franca to the ground and using back control to grind out the win.
Gillespie took a long and arduous road to make his UFC debut as he broke his arm in 2012 right before his first scheduled MMA fight, which turned into a staph infection and delayed his pro debut till 2014. It didn’t stop his will and desire to live out his dream and make it to the biggest stage in mixed martial arts, the UFC.
“It was an awesome experience, better than I thought it would be,” Gillespie told reporters after the fight. “I usually don’t get emotional after wins, but this was my first UFC fight. I only got my first professional fight two years ago, and from day one, I dreamed about coming to the UFC.”
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 95, Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino defeated Lina Lansberg via TKO at the 2:29 mark of round two to end an exciting fight card in Brazil.
MMA Long Island Magazine is published by MMA New York Media Corporation. For more information please visit www.mmalongislandmagazine.com or call (516) 318-2418.
Photo credit: mmajunkie.com
###
