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UFC Vegas 26: Diego Ferreira vs Gregor Gillespie Breakdown and Preview

The long-awaited return of one of the biggest prospects the lightweight division has seen is finally upon us, and after devastatingly suffering his first loss, he has one chance to keep himself as one of the division’s elite. The task he faces? A grappling ace and third-degree blackbelt. Diego Ferreira vs Gregor Gillespie sees two of the lightweight division’s most promising prospects square off in the cage with their rankings on the line.

A Look At the Fighters

Diego Ferreira is looking to rebound after a decision loss to Beneil Dariush earlier this year. He faces one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division. Ferreira possesses amazing speed in his grappling exchanges. He can snatch your leg, then within ten seconds he is in the backpack position grabbing your neck. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt enters this fight with possibly his ranking on the line.

Diego Ferreira vs Gregor Gillespie is one of many Fight of the Night contenders. With these battle-tested grapplers ready for war, we can take a look back at the formula of the ground game specialists meeting in the octagon and make a bold prediction that we are in for a stand-up war. Of his 17 victories, Ferreira boasts seven of them by way of submission. He has all the tools to grab a sneaky finish on Gillespie but it won’t be that simple as both men have shown defensive dominance on the canvas.

Gregor Gillespie enters the octagon coming off of his first professional loss. With him spending over a year out, he plans to use his new tools to get the job done this Saturday. Diego Ferreira vs Gregor Gillespie is such a unique matchup and will be technical warfare. Both men have spent time working on the holes in their game and look to make up for the past mistakes. The patience that both men have makes this a really difficult chess match for either man.

Gillespie’s jab is beautiful and it takes him wherever he wants to go. If “The Gift” wants to take you down, he’ll use his jab, close distance, and get the job done. The pressure he puts on exhausts his opponents, but with the threat of defensive submissions in Ferreira, we might not see vintage Gillespie in this bout.

Diego Ferreira vs Gregor Gillespie Breakdown

Distance and concentration is the key in this fight. Gillespie’s jab will do him wonders, but Ferreira sometimes comes out with unorthodox moves that can definitely catch his opponent off guard. “The Gift’s” defence is most likely at an all-time high after being brutally knocked out at UFC 244 by Kevin Lee. It is extremely unlikely to see either athlete on the back foot as this is where the biggest weaknesses become exposed. With both competitors holding a number behind their name, Diego Ferreira vs Gregor Gillespie might see the loser exit the octagon without one.

They will stand toe to toe and one man will likely fall, but with hearts this big, there is no safe bet to make. To jump back into the deep end of the ranked lightweights, they will most likely be going for a finish. But do not be fooled if the ruthless output sees us on an extremely one-sided decision victory for either fighter.

The outcome of this fight is so hard to predict but one thing we can be sure of is a Fight of the Night contender. This bout sees two determined men looking to put on one hell of a fight and solidify themselves as championship-worthy contenders. There is no in-between of what this fight could be. A strategic chess match, an all-out brawl, or grappling warfare. Find out by tuning into the Diego Ferreira vs Gregor Gillespie fight Saturday, May 8th!


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Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images

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