Gillian Robertson believes she’s being overlooked by Mackenzie Dern ahead of UFC 330: “All for my benefit”

Gillian Robertson is feeling underestimated going into the biggest fight of her career at UFC 330.

Robertson is scheduled to challenge for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship on July 11. Mackenzie Dern is the reigning titleholder having captured the gold by defeating Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 back in Oct. 2025. “The Savage” earned her opportunity against Dern by amassing a five-fight winning streak with victories over the likes of Amanda Lemos and Marina Rodriguez.

The 115-pound  title challenger spoke to MMAJunkie ahead of fight night, and she thinks that Dern hasn’t been paying attention to her rise in the strawweight division. Robertson believes that being overlooked could play in her favor during the upcoming title fight.

“It seems like she’s never really watched me before, honestly,” Robertson said. “I’m like, ‘You know we’re fighting in like six weeks?’ Just the way she was talking, it’s like she doesn’t even know my skills, my ability. It seemed like she didn’t know a lot about me, which I guess is all for my benefit.

“I think she might be underestimating me a little bit. Obviously, the ground has always been her world, so she expects it to be that way. There’s no better way to end that (than a submission), but I’m happy with the TKO, too.”

Robertson hasn’t been defeated since June 2023. From that point on, she’s racked up wins over Polyana Viana, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Luana Pinheiro, Rodriguez, and Lemos. Dern’s three-fight winning streak includes victories over Loopy Godinez, Amanda Ribas, and Jandiroba.

Dern vs. Robertson will be a part of the same card headlined by the highly anticipated return of Conor McGregor. The “Notorious” one will be facing Max Holloway inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. BJPenn.com will continue to provide updates on UFC 330 leading up to the event.

Who do you think will walk out of UFC 330 with the women’s strawweight gold? Will Mackenzie Dern retain, or are we looking at a new 115-pound titleholder on July 11? Drop your prediction in the comments below.