What's next for Gregor Gillespie? (Opinion)

Gregor Gillespie took the UFC Lightweight division on notice after picking up six straight victories inside the UFC octagon. Gillespie took on former interim title contender Kevin Lee at UFC 244. However, failed to make a huge impact after he suffered a brutal KO loss in the first round of the fight.

Gillespie has long been seen as a worthy opponent for Khabib Nurmagomedov. He is a former four-time Division I All-American wrestler and won the national championship in 2007. Gillespie is a world-class and has out-grappled each of his opponents inside the UFC. Gillespie has 13 wins in his MMA career, with the sole loss coming against Kevin Lee.

Despite fighting three times in 2019, Gillespie hasn't fought in 2020. He remains without an opponent. Gillespie is currently ranked #12 in the UFC Lightweight rankings. He has a lot of interesting options going forward.

Gregor Gillespie cruised through each of his opponents before losing to Kevin Lee in a brutal fashion. However, there's an argument to be made that Lee caught Gillespie at the perfect time and that the fight could have gone either way had it gone the distance. While we can't take away the big win from Kevin Lee, there's a reason to believe that Gregor Gillespie will come out much sharper in his next fight.

What's next for Gregor Gillespie?

UFC Fight Night Cejudo v Dillashaw

Gillespie is currently ranked #12 in the UFC Lightweight rankings. There are a lot of interesting options for Gillespie going forward. Gillespie is a world-class mixed martial artist. With 6 wins inside UFC, he will likely look to fight an opponent ranked above him.

Gregor Gillespie has an interesting option ahead of him in the form of Islam Makachev. The Dagestani fighter has not competed inside the octagon ever since his dominant unanimous decision win over Davi Ramos at UFC 241. Islam Makachev will likely fight on the UFC 254 card, where Khabib Nurmagomedov will take on Justin Gaethje in a title unification bout for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Both Islam and Gillespie are impeccable grapplers, and it will be a battle between two wrestlers if the fight does take place. However, in the absence of Islam Makachev, Diego Ferriera and Paul Felder are great options for Gregor Gillespie. While Ferriera is coming off an incredible victory over former champion Anthony Pettis, Paul Felder had a tough fight against Dan Hooker and is coming off a unanimous decision loss. Both Felder and Ferriera are ranked above Gillespie and are perfect contenders for him moving forward in pursuit of the lightweight gold. Gregor Gillespie could also look to welcome Al Iaquinta back inside the octagon.

Gregor Gillespie will look to avoid the mistakes from his last fight against Kevin Lee and come out stronger in his next fight. Gillespie has the experience and the ability to take the Lightweight division by storm, and he will look to further cement his position in the division with a win in his comeback fight.