Dana White passionately praises UFC strawweight’s fighting spirit after impressive Kansas City finish
UFC president Dana White is a polarizing figure in the world of MMA, as he’s never afraid to throw a fighter under the proverbial bus. At times, though, he can also wax lyrical about his fighters and their ability.
After last night’s UFC event in Kansas City, White was effusive in his praise for veteran Gillian Robertson, who made her debut in the strawweight division with a submission win over Piera Rodriguez.
Gillian Robertson gets the second-round submission! 👋
#UFCKansasCity https://t.co/yxTtqOHYty
The win earned ‘The Savage’ a $50k bonus from White and the company after the event was over. Unsurprisingly, he was not afraid to praise her highly when asked about her “going under the radar” during his post-event press conference:
“She doesn’t go under my radar. I love that kid. Every time she fights, win, lose or draw, she goes for it... I mean, she goes in there to fight. And, you know, she could easily have kept that top position and kept dropping punches and elbows... but no, she goes for the armbar, which is super dangerous, to give up that position... a lot of people don’t do it, they play it safe. She never plays it safe. She goes in there and she goes to war.”
Catch White's interview below:
White went on to label Robertson a “tough woman to fight” and stated that real fight fans are in for a treat whenever she fights.
Did Dana White single out any other fighter for praise following the UFC’s event in Kansas City?
Considering he dished out $50k bonus awards to five different fighters, it’s probably safe to say that Dana White was pleased with the UFC’s event in Kansas City this weekend.
The event was headlined by a featherweight bout that saw Max Holloway edge out Arnold Allen, but neither of those fighters received a $50k bonus.
Instead, the awards went to Bill Algeo and TJ Brown for their Fight of the Night scrap, and to Edson Barboza, Gillian Robertson and Brandon Royval, who all finished their opponents before the final buzzer.
Dana White praised Barboza in his post-event press conference:
“Look at how long Edson’s been here... against a young, up-and-coming savage and finished the way he did... impressive.”
The UFC president also stated that both Holloway and Allen were impressive, although he did claim that the Brit should probably have fought more aggressively in the earlier rounds.