PHILADELPHIA – You might not know it from the bubbly sound of her voice or constant smile on her face, but Gillian Robertson has some animosity for Mackenzie Dern.
Robertson (17-8 MMA, 14-6 UFC) is set to challenge Dern (16-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) for her strawweight title Saturday night at UFC 330 from Xfinity Mobile Arena. The reason for Robertson's hard feelings toward the champion is due to what she perceives to be phoniness.
"She was making comments all through the camp about how she doesn't know me, she doesn't think my jiu-jitsu's good, and all this stuff," Robertson told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Wednesday's UFC 330 media day. "Now she's like, 'Oh, no, it's not anything. It's not that I don't like her.' I'm like, 'Why are we trying to take this back now?' You're talking all this sh* through camp. Keep that same energy."
She added, "I don't like her right now. We're about to fight each other this week."
Robertson, who's riding a five-fight winning streak into her first UFC title fight after 20 promotional appearances, already got a taste of Dern being fake when they faced off Tuesday in front of the famous Rocky statue.
And she didn't appreciate it.
"I expected her to be a little bit more aggressive," Robertson said. "She shook my hand twice, and it kind of threw me off. I thought we were talking sh*t."
Greatness awaits. Only one can claim it. 🏆
Mackenzie Dern vs Gillian Robertson
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Perhaps they'll fire salvos at each other during Thursday's press conference, although Robertson doesn't know what to expect from Dern – only that she's certain of how she feels.
"I guess I'm not really sure how it's going to go," Robertson said. "I'm keeping the same energy. I still don't like her."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Gillian Robertson blasts Mackenzie Dern for being phony: 'I thought we were talking sh*t'
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