Mackenzie Dern admits she ‘wouldn’t be ready’ to fight Zhang Weili at UFC 321 if ex-champ kept title

UFC strawweight star Mackenzie Dern saluted the former strawweight titleholder ahead of her vacant title fight at UFC 321.

After Zhang Weili vacated the UFC strawweight title for a move to flyweight, top strawweight contenders Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba got the call from matchmakers that they’ll compete for the vacant title at UFC 321. It’ll be the first title shot for Dern and Jandiroba; after both contenders went through a long journey to reach the top of the division.

Before Weili’s vacation, she dominated the division for years, with recent wins over Yan Xiaonan, Tatiana Suarez, and Carla Esparza. She set a new standard for the division after Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s retirement signaled a new era for strawweights.

While Dern wouldn’t’ve turned down a title shot against Weili at UFC 321, she believes she wouldn’t be at a level necessary to dethrone the long-standing champion.

Mackenzie Dern: Not ready for Zhang Weili right now ahead of UFC 321

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Dern was brutally honest in how she feels she would’ve done against Weili in the Octagon at UFC 321.

“I definitely think that if Weili was champion right now of our division, and I mean, obviously, I wouldn’t say no to a title shot, but I don’t think I’d be ready to fight Weili right now at this moment of my career, you know what I mean?

“But I do think that if I do win the belt, and then whatever – if we were to fight like at the White House or something in June – I feel like I’d be way more ready and prepared to fight her. I know it’s like, OK, it’s just like what? Like six months or eight months difference.

“How much better do you think you’re going to get in 8 months?” Dern continued. “But I think just winning the belt, there’s a confidence part that you get from that, and it’s just more training and more time. She was just so dominant in the strawweight division.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

UFC 321 marks Dern’s first fight since submitting Amanda Ribas in January. Meanwhile, Jandiroba enters UFC 321 on a five-fight win streak.