UFC Fight Night 143: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw - Predictions and Picks

#3 Gregor Gillespie vs. Yancy Medeiros

Gregor Gillespie is unbeaten thus far in his UFC career

After snacking on fighters at the lower end of the Lightweight division, former NCAA Division I wrestling champion Gillespie finally makes a step up – of sorts – when he takes on iron-chinned brawler Medeiros, who is returning to 155lbs following a run at 170lbs.

That run ended at the hands of Donald Cerrone last February in an epic brawl, and the Hawaiian hasn’t fought since. It’s the longest layoff Medeiros has had since his UFC debut in April 2013, but it may have done him some good given the punishment he took against Cerrone and against Alex Oliveira in his previous fight.

Gillespie for his part has been outstanding in his UFC career thus far. He fights with a wild style, throwing crazy strikes to set up his takedowns, and once he gets his opponents down he wastes no time in punishing them with ground-and-pound while looking for submission opportunities. A boring wrestler he is not. The only knock on him would be the strength of his competition.

For me this comes down to two factors – firstly, can Gillespie consistently get Medeiros to the ground? If he can, I’ve got little doubt that he can either grind the Hawaiian out for a decision or a late submission. But the other factor is whether he decides to brawl with Medeiros first. If he does that, he’s risking a hell of a lot as Medeiros can take inhuman amounts of punishment while dishing plenty out himself.

In fights like this I always tend to favour the wrestler – even if Gillespie gets into trouble, I just don’t see that Medeiros can prevent him from taking him down. In the end I think the takedowns will be simply too much for Medeiros to handle. Expect the fight of the night – but also expect Gillespie to win.

The Pick: Gillespie via unanimous decision