Brad Riddell finally has confirmation of his
next bout.He meets No15 lightweight Gregor Gillespie the Brunson x Holland
card on March 22 (NZT) pic.twitter.com/h7LLx425oS— Christopher Reive (@ChrisReive)
February 19, 2021
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Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Gregor
Gillespie is coming back after a long time away following his
first career loss.
The
NZ Herald first reported on Friday that Gillespie (13-1) would
be making his long-awaited comeback against Brad
Riddell (9-1) on March 20.
The UFC Fight Night event on that date is not yet numbered, and
could take place on ABC or ESPN as well as ESPN+, but it will be
held in the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The news has since been
confirmed by
other outlets.
Gillespie will be competing for the first time since late 2019,
when Kevin
Lee kicked him in the head to end his 13-fight flawless record.
Before then, “The Gift” had racked up six victories inside the
Octagon, including each of his last five by finish within two
rounds. Along the way up the rankings, the New Yorker notched
stoppages over Yancy
Medeiros, Vinc Pichel
and Jordan
Rinaldi. As a pro, Gillespie maintains an 85 percent finish
rate.
Going against Gillespie will be a New Zealander on the rise in
Riddell, who will be looking to make it four straight inside the
Octagon. Although his first five career wins came by knockout
within two rounds, since then, “Quake” has won by decision. Upon
making his debut in 2019, he defeated Jamie
Mullarkey, and went on to prevail on the scorecards over
Magomed
Mustafaev and Alex
da Silva Coelho in 2020.
The UFC Fight Night event on March 20 will take place in the UFC
Apex in Las Vegas, with a middleweight headliner pitting Derek
Brunson against Kevin
Holland. Another main card attraction comes in the form of a
light heavyweight battle as Paul Craig
takes on Jamahal
Hill.
