# Gregor Gillespie
**Gregor Gillespie** (born 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship) (UFC), where he has compiled a record of 7 wins and 1 loss within a professional record of 14-1-0[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/). A former [NCAA Division I](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i) national champion wrestler at Edinboro University, he built his MMA game around a grappling-heavy style that has produced some of the highest control-time and takedown figures in UFC lightweight history[2](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie/) • [3](https://www.ufc.com/news/finally-ufc-belt-gillespies-mind).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1987[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/) |
| Records | 14-1-0 professional; 7-1-0 in the UFC[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/) |
| Physical profile | 5'7", 155 lbs, 71" reach, orthodox stance[2](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie/) |
| Wrestling credentials | NCAA Division I national champion at Edinboro University; four-time All-American[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/finally-ufc-belt-gillespies-mind) • [4](https://www.ufc.com/news/gregor-gillespie-unfazed-and-ready-compete-ufc-fight-night-brunson-holland-read) |
| Debut dates | Professional debut January 24, 2014; UFC debut September 24, 2016[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/) |
| Only loss | Kevin Lee, KO (head kick), 2:47 of round 1, UFC 244, November 2, 2019[5](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-244-results) |
| Signature statistics | 71.8% of fight time in control; 6.86 takedowns landed per 15 minutes at 48% success[2](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie/) • [6](https://www.ufcalendar.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie) |
| Win methods | 7 by KO/TKO, 5 by submission, 2 by decision; never submitted in the UFC[7](https://www.mmaindex.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie-84ff0273) |
## Wrestling background and early career
Gillespie finished a standout college wrestling career at Edinboro University that included a Division I national championship, then turned to mixed martial arts[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/finally-ufc-belt-gillespies-mind). UFC has described him as a four-time All-American wrestler[4](https://www.ufc.com/news/gregor-gillespie-unfazed-and-ready-compete-ufc-fight-night-brunson-holland-read).
He turned professional on January 24, 2014, affiliated with the Bellmore Kickboxing Academy[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/). Despite winning fight after fight, each finished in two rounds or less, he waited more than two years for a UFC contract while competing for the Ring of Combat promotion, which had graduated several other fighters to the UFC[3](https://www.ufc.com/news/finally-ufc-belt-gillespies-mind). By early 2019 he had run his professional record to twelve wins without a loss, five of them coming as a UFC roster member[8](https://www.ufc.com/news/gillespie-needs-fight-game-structure). MMA Fighting writers nicknamed him "The Gift"[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/1/18/18185882/the-great-divide-which-three-unranked-fighters-have-best-shot-of-being-2019s-breakthrough-fighter).
## UFC career
Gillespie debuted in the UFC on September 24, 2016[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/) and won his first six appearances, five by finish[10](https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/11/6/20950931/gregor-gillespie-doesnt-expect-miss-much-time-after-ufc-244-ko-loss-not-interested-in-featherweight). The fastest of them lasted 21 seconds: at [UFC 210](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-210) against Andrew Holbrook, he stepped in, dropped Holbrook with a left hook, and finished the fight on the ground with hammerfists[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/1/18/18185882/the-great-divide-which-three-unranked-fighters-have-best-shot-of-being-2019s-breakthrough-fighter). In January 2019 he stopped [Yancy Medeiros](https://www.edgepedia.org/yancy-medeiros) by TKO at the [Barclays Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/barclays-center) in Brooklyn[11](https://www.ufc.com/news/gillespies-breakthrough-was-just-matter-time-ufc-244-features), and MMA Fighting's writers selected him as their top unranked prospect pick for 2019, noting that he had finished the last four fighters he had faced[9](https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/1/18/18185882/the-great-divide-which-three-unranked-fighters-have-best-shot-of-being-2019s-breakthrough-fighter).
**The Kevin Lee fight.** His first ranked opponent was former interim title challenger [Kevin Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-lee) at [UFC 244](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-244) in [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden) on November 2, 2019. Gillespie, who entered 13-0 with five finishes in his first six UFC starts, opened a cut under Lee's eye in early exchanges but attempted only one takedown and did not lean on his wrestling. After landing several overhand rights, Lee turned Gillespie with a punch and connected flush with a left high kick at 2:47 of the first round; Gillespie fell unconscious to the canvas and the referee stopped the fight[5](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-244-results). It was the first loss and first knockout of his career[12](https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/11/2/20945874/ufc-244-results-kevin-lee-demolishes-gregor-gillespie-with-vicious-head-kick-ko). Gillespie later said he did not regret taking the fight and called the kick "absolutely perfect"[10](https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/11/6/20950931/gregor-gillespie-doesnt-expect-miss-much-time-after-ufc-244-ko-loss-not-interested-in-featherweight).
**Return and last fight.** Gillespie rebounded against the eighth-ranked lightweight Diego Ferreira at UFC on ESPN 24, winning by TKO from elbows and punches in the second round on May 8, 2021, in a performance that earned Fight of the Night[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/) • [13](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/5/16/23074131/gregor-gillespie-explains-removed-ufc-rankings-blasts-rafael-dos-anjos-allegedly-turning-down-fight). It remains, as of the most recent data, his last UFC fight[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/).
## Fighting style and statistics
Gillespie's game is built on wrestling control. Across his UFC career he held opponents for 71.8% of total fight time and was himself controlled for only 2.2%, winning the clinch and ground battle for 97.1% of the time spent there; he spent just 26.0% of fight time at distance[2](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie/). He landed 6.86 takedowns per 15 minutes at 48% success and stuffed 100% of the takedowns he faced[6](https://www.ufcalendar.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie). On UFCalendar's all-time lightweight boards those figures rank first, 6.9 takedowns per 15 minutes and the 71.8% control share[6](https://www.ufcalendar.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie).
The fights end early. 87.5% of his bouts finished inside the distance, his average fight lasted 7:22, and his longest win streak ran six fights from 2016 to 2019[2](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie/) • [1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/). Of his 14 wins, 7 came by KO/TKO, 5 by submission, and 2 by decision; he has never been submitted in the UFC, and his single defeat came by knockout[7](https://www.mmaindex.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie-84ff0273).
His striking is concentrated on the head, 84% of his landed significant strikes, and most of it lands on the ground, 61% of his significant strikes by position[7](https://www.mmaindex.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie-84ff0273). Standing at distance he absorbs more significant strikes per minute than he lands, 4.96 against 4.43, a differential of -0.52 per minute, which underlines how much his offense depends on getting the fight to the floor[2](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie/).
## Rankings and inactivity
Gillespie has not fought since May 2021[2](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie/). In May 2022 he was removed from the UFC's official rankings under the promotion's rule that fighters are removed after 12 months of inactivity, though he remained on the roster. In a public statement he said he had accepted every offered fight against opponents ranked ahead of him while declining bouts against those ranked behind, naming [Tony Ferguson](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-ferguson), Michael Chandler, Rafael dos Anjos, and [Beneil Dariush](https://www.edgepedia.org/beneil-dariush) as fighters he had pursued or called out[13](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/5/16/23074131/gregor-gillespie-explains-removed-ufc-rankings-blasts-rafael-dos-anjos-allegedly-turning-down-fight).
The computerized FightMatrix rankings last placed him at No. 24 at lightweight on January 1, 2021, after a peak quarterly ranking of No. 14 on July 1, 2019[1](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/), and Sherdog's official rankings listed him at No. 10 in the division[14](https://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/6/Sherdogs-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-185324).
## References
1. [Gregor Gillespie – MMA Fighter Profile, FightMatrix](https://www.fightmatrix.com/fighter-profile/Gregor%20Gillespie/101641/)
2. [Gregor Gillespie UFC Stats & Fight History, FightingData](https://fightingdata.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie/)
3. [Finally in UFC, belt is on Gillespie's mind, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/finally-ufc-belt-gillespies-mind)
4. [Gregor Gillespie: Unfazed And Ready To Compete At UFC Fight Night: Brunson Vs Holland, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/gregor-gillespie-unfazed-and-ready-compete-ufc-fight-night-brunson-holland-read)
5. [UFC 244 Results, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-244-results)
6. [Gregor Gillespie Record, Stats & Next Fight, UFCalendar](https://www.ufcalendar.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie)
7. [Gregor Gillespie Record, Stats & Next Fight, MMA Index](https://www.mmaindex.com/fighters/gregor-gillespie-84ff0273)
8. [Gillespie Needs The Fight-Game Structure, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/gillespie-needs-fight-game-structure)
9. [The Great Divide: Which three unranked fighters have the best shot of being 2019's Breakthrough Fighter of the Year?, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/1/18/18185882/the-great-divide-which-three-unranked-fighters-have-best-shot-of-being-2019s-breakthrough-fighter)
10. [Gregor Gillespie doesn't regret facing Kevin Lee at UFC 244, calls KO kick 'absolutely perfect', MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/11/6/20950931/gregor-gillespie-doesnt-expect-miss-much-time-after-ufc-244-ko-loss-not-interested-in-featherweight)
11. [Gillespie's Breakthrough Was Just A Matter Of Time, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/gillespies-breakthrough-was-just-matter-time-ufc-244-features)
12. [UFC 244 results: Kevin Lee demolishes Gregor Gillespie with vicious head kick KO, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/11/2/20945874/ufc-244-results-kevin-lee-demolishes-gregor-gillespie-with-vicious-head-kick-ko)
13. [Gregor Gillespie explains why he was removed from UFC rankings, blasts Rafael dos Anjos for allegedly turning down fight, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/5/16/23074131/gregor-gillespie-explains-removed-ufc-rankings-blasts-rafael-dos-anjos-allegedly-turning-down-fight)
14. [Sherdog's Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings – Lightweight, Sherdog](https://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/6/Sherdogs-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-185324)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Mixed martial arts › Lightweight fighters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license