Gregor Gillespie Knows He Has a Lot to Learn Following Fight Night 95 Win

Gregor Gillespie spoke with MMAjunkie about his win over Glaico Franca at UFC Fight Night 95. Highlights are below:

On winning his UFC debut: “It was a little stressful leading up to the fight. My coach will tell you that I’m very routine in my training and my preparation, in my schedule. To leave a week, five or six days ahead of my fight, get out of my comfort zone for the first time. It was a little stressful. Once I got here and got settled in, we got right on the set schedule, we stuck with it every day. It was a pleasure; it was cool to go to a different country for the first time. I’d never been out of the US other than Canada. Trying to figure things out, and figure out what they were saying to us, and what we’re saying back. It was a neat experience.”

On being fairly new to MMA: “I’m very aware that I still have a lot to learn. Not only technical-wise – I think technically I do have quite a bit of skill in all three departments. Wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and striking, it’s just a comfortability thing. As my coach, Keith, said after the fight – I’m learning on the job. I only have seven MMA fights and I have no amateur experience. I came right out of wrestling to retirement to pro fighting. I had my first pro fight two and a half years ago, so. But I’m learning on the job. And I think I’ll get better with every fight. I felt better in the third round than I did the second, and I felt better the second round than I did the first. So, comfortability-wise.”

On fighting in New York: “Albany is the next one in New York. It’s where I won my second New York state high school title. I go (to Times Union Center) every year to coach my guys, that I train in wrestling, in that same arena. I know every entrance in that arena, every back door in that place, I’ve been there countless times.”