Canadians Gillian Robertson and Serhiy Sidey Added to UFC Fight Night in Iowa

Two Canadian mixed martial artists, Gillian Robertson and Serhiy Sidey, have been confirmed as additions to the upcoming UFC Fight Night scheduled for May 3 in Des Moines, Iowa. Gillian Robertson, who currently holds the 12th position in the UFC strawweight rankings, will compete against the ninth-ranked Brazilian fighter Marina Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Sidey is matched against American bantamweight competitor Cameron Smotherman.

The main fight of the evening at Wells Fargo Arena pits American Cory Sandhagen, who ranks fourth among bantamweight contenders, against fifth-ranked Brazilian Deiveson Figueiredo, a former champion who previously competed at flyweight and recently moved up to the 135-pound division.

Robertson had an impressive run in 2024, securing three victories against Brazilians Polyana Viana and Luana Pinheiro, alongside American opponent Michelle Waterson-Gomez. After dropping from the flyweight division (125 pounds) to strawweight (115 pounds) in early 2023, Robertson has built a solid 4-1 record in her new weight class and now holds a 12-6 overall UFC career record.

The 29-year-old, originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario, moved to Florida at the age of seven when her family relocated for her mother's job as a nurse. Robertson trains and resides in Miami. Her opponent, Marina Rodriguez, carries a professional record of 17-5-2 but has recently struggled, losing four of her last five UFC bouts after an earlier promising record of 6-1-2.

Serhiy Sidey, another Canadian contender, currently holds an 11-2-0 professional record. He joined the UFC in September 2023, earning a contract after defeating American Ramon Taveras via knockout on the show "Dana White’s Contender Series." However, Taveras won their rematch by split decision during UFC 297 held in Toronto in January 2024.

The 28-year-old Burlington, Ontario native quickly rebounded from this setback, attaining victory over American fighter Garrett Armfield via split decision in November. His forthcoming opponent, Cameron Smotherman, has a respectable 12-4-0 professional record and started his UFC journey last October with a decision victory over English opponent Jake Hadley.