Last fight
UFC Fight Night
Win
Ferreira vs Gillespie
May. 8, 2021
UFC Spotlight
Stats & Records
8
Wins by Knockout
5
Wins by Submission
2
Wins by Decision
Significant Strikes include all strikes at distance, plus power strikes in the clinch and on the ground.
Striking accuracy
- Sig. Strikes Landed
- 221
- Sig. Strikes Attempted
- 418
A takedown is awarded when a fighter deliberately grapples an opponent to the ground and establishes an advantageous position for an appreciable amount of time.
Takedown Accuracy
- Takedowns Landed
- 17
- Takedowns Attempted
- 56
- Sig. Str. Defense is the percentage of significant strikes attempted against a fighter that do not land.
- Takedown defense is the percentage of takedowns attempted against a fighter that do not land.
- Knockdown Avg. is the average number of knockdowns per 15 Minutes window.
Sig. Str. by target
athlete record
Info
Status
Active
Place of Birth
Rochester, United States
Trains at
Bellmore Kickboxing (NY)
Age
36
Height
67.00
Weight
156.00
Octagon Debut
Sep. 25, 2016
Reach
71.00
Leg reach
37.00
Fighter Facts
- Pro since 2014
- Seven wins by KO, five by submission (RNC, 4 Arm triangle)
- Eight first round finishes
UFC History
UFC Fight Night (5/8/21) Gillespie stopped Diego Ferreira via TKO (strikes) at 4:51 of the second round
UFC 244 (11/2/19) Gillespie was knocked out by Kevin Lee at 2:47 of the first round
UFC Fight Night (1/19/19) Gillespie stopped Yancy Medeiros via strikes at 4:59 of the second round
UFC Fight Night (6/1/18) Gillespie submitted Vinc Pichel via arm triangle choke at 4:06 of the second round
UFC on FOX (1/27/18) Gillespie stopped Jordan Rinaldi via strikes at 4:46 of the first round
UFC Fight Night (9/16/17) Gillespie submitted Jason Gonzalez via arm triangle choke at 2:10 of the second round
UFC 210 (4/8/17) Gillespie knocked out Andrew Holbrook at :21 of the first round
UFC Fight Night (9/24/16) Gillespie won a three round unanimous decision over Glaico Franca
Q&A
TRAINING: Three workouts a day, six days a week - a mixture of jitz, wrestling, mitts, cardio, strength & conditioning, yoga, and sparring
When and why did you start training for fighting? I started training in 2011, but I didn't have my first fight until 2014. A series of unfortunate events following a sparring session with Ryan LaFlare sidelined me for about a year and a half (late 2012 to early 2014 I was receiving from two surgeries and a MRSA infection after the first surgery). I started fighting because realistically for me to keep wrestling I would have had to beat Jordan Burroughs just to make a world or Olympic team. (He is a three-time world champion and Olympic champion).
What ranks and titles have you held? Ring of Combat Champion
Do you have any heroes? My father, Tim Flynn, and Jeff Freedman are heroes of mine
What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? The UFC is where I said I would be fighting since the day I decided to start fighting, but winning the belt is the long-term goal.
Did you go to college and if so what degree did you earn? I majored in psychology in college at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
What was your job before you started fighting? I was coaching college wrestling before I started fighting, and had a short post-collegiate wrestling career as well.
Specific accomplishments in amateur competition? In college, I was a 4x Division I All-American and a DI NCAA national champion in wrestling, with the school record for career wins at 152, most wins as a freshman (40), and a win percentage at .917, as well as being the only true freshman All-American in school history. High school record of 238-11 and 2x New York state champ.
Favorite grappling technique: A move called the gi-rola, which is a combination of my last name and my grappling coach’s last name (Gillespie and Scarola)
Favorite Striking technique: Anything that lands flush
