Mackenzie Dern News

Cole Shelton - April 5, 2022

The 73rd episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 273 and it is stacked. We’re first joined by the UFC’s featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski (3:23). Fifth-ranked strawweight, Mackenzie Dern (26:57) then comes on. UFC welterweight, Ian Garry (42:58) joins the show. Korean Zombie’s head coach, Eddie Cha (1:04:42) then stops by. Eighth-ranked UFC heavyweight, Jairzinho Rozenstruik (1:18:29) then joins the show. UFC lightweight, Vinc Pichel (1:30:45) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC heavyweight, Jared Vanderaa (1:47:37).

Susan Cox - January 13, 2022

Two marquee match-ups have been added to April 9th’s UFC 273 event, including Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres. Dern (11-2 MMA) an accomplished Brazilian black belt and MMA fighter is looking to rebound from her loss to Marina Rodriguez last October. The jiu-jitsu ace previously won four straight fights and is regarded as one of the top female grapplers of her generation.

Harry Kettle - December 30, 2021

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is targeting two strawweight bouts for early next year – including Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres. The strawweight division is one of the most intriguing in the entire promotion and the UFC is well aware of that. From young talent rising up through the ranks to the top 10 all being absolute killers, they’ve got plenty of options ahead of them as 2022 approaches.

Drake Riggs - October 11, 2021

Carla Esparza believes she should be the one rematching Rose Namajunas next – even more so after Mackenzie Dern’s recent loss. This past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 39 main event saw No. 6 ranked strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez score a stout unanimous decision over Dern – leaving the 15-1-2 Brazilian with her lone loss coming to Esparza.

Adam D Martin - October 10, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern released a statement following her decision loss to Marina Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 39. Dern lost a unanimous decision to Rodriguez in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 39, which was the “Fight of the Night.” It was a fantastic back-and-forth fight between the two 115lbs contenders, but it was Rodriguez who ultimately walked away with the win after out striking her opponent for the majority of the 25 minutes. Although Dern did have some strong points in the fight with her ground game, overall she was beaten to the punch on the feet. Still, it was an awesome fight and Dern gained plenty of respect for her performance in the fight. Despite losing, she went a hard 25 minutes and showed heart.

Chris Taylor - October 9, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for today’s UFC Vegas 39 event, a nine-bout fight card headlined by strawweights Mackenzie Dern and Marina Rodriguez. The highly anticipated main event proved to be a classic strikes versus grappler matchup. Marina Rodriguez was able to simply outclass Mackenzie Dern while on the feet, but the jiu-jitsu wizard nearly finished the fight in round three thanks to her submission game. Despite her best efforts Dern could not overcome the striking prowess of Rodriguez and wound up losing the five-round contest on points.

Chris Taylor - October 9, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 39 event was headlined by a key women’s strawweight fight featuring Mackenzie Dern taking on Marina Rodriguez. Dern (11-2 MMA) had entered tonight’s main event sporting a four-fight winning streak, her latest being a first round submission victory over Nina Nunes back in April.

Chris Taylor - October 9, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 39 event is headlined by a key women’s strawweight fight featuring Mackenzie Dern taking on Marina Rodriguez. Dern (11-1 MMA) will enter tonight’s main event sporting a four-fight winning streak, her latest being a first round submission victory over Nina Nunes in April.

Adam D Martin - October 8, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern says she has her eye on Valentina Shevchenko with a future move to the flyweight division. Dern returns to the Octagon this Saturday night when she faces off against Marina Rodriguez in a women’s strawweight bout that serves as the five-round headliner of UFC Vegas 39. For Dern, she is 6-1 in the UFC and she is currently ranked at No. 4 in the 115lbs weight class. If she is able to go out there and beat Rodriguez, there is certainly a chance that Dern could earn herself a title shot. Right now, her goal is to be the best strawweight in the world, so a win over Rodriguez would help get her to the top of the weight class, where the belt is currently held by the 115lbs champion, Rose Namajunas.

Adam D Martin - October 7, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern promised the Marina Rodriguez fight will be better than Johnny Walker vs. Thiago Santos. Dern takes on Rodriguez in the five-round women’s 115lbs headliner of this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 39 card. This is an important fight in the division as both Dern and Rodriguez are closing in on a title shot, so an impressive win could very well earn them a crack at the belt. But more than anything, Dern says she just wants to put on a good fight for the fans.

Cole Shelton - October 5, 2021

Mackenzie Dern had a feeling her next fight would be a main event. Dern submitted Nina Nunes in the first round back in April. After that, she was offered two short-notice main event fights. However, they never came to fruition but Dern had a feeling once Rodriguez beat Waterson she would headline a card opposite the Brazilian.

Cole Shelton - October 5, 2021

The 53rd episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 39. We’re first joined by one-half of the main event in fourth-ranked strawweight, Mackenzie Dern (2:34). Next, UFC welterweight, Randy Brown (18:3) comes on. Ninth-ranked flyweight, Tim Elliott (33:47) then joins the program. UFC featherweight, Charles Rosa (46:57) joins the show. Closing out the program is UFC heavyweight, Jared Vanderaa (1:03:11).

Adam Martin - May 30, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez explained why the proposed Mackenzie Dern fight isn’t happening in July as was expected. Rodriguez is coming off of a big win over Michelle Waterson in her last outing and beat Amanda Ribas by knockout before that, so she’s one of the hottest fighters at 115lbs right now. Similarly, Dern has been red hot as of late with a four-fight win streak including a submission over Nina Nunes in her last fight. With both Rodriguez and Dern ranked in the top-10 of the division, UFC president Dana White recently said that the promotion was planning on having these two women headline a UFC Fight Night card on July 21.

Adam D Martin - May 26, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern says the Marina Rodriguez fight isn’t done despite UFC president Dana White announcing it. White revealed last week that the UFC is targeting a matchup between Dern and Rodriguez, two of the top-10 women’s strawweights in the world. However, Dern says that the fight isn’t done just yet. Speaking to AG Fight, Dern said that the UFC has offered her the fight with Rodriguez as the main event for the July 31 UFC Fight Night card. However, Dern said that Rodriguez isn’t ready to fight on that date, and Dern hopes she gets someone else as her ambitious plan includes fighting someone in July and then fighting again in September.

Adam D Martin - April 15, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern has moved into the top-five of the division in the latest UFC rankings update. Dern defeated Nina Nunes via first-round submission at this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 23 card. It was the most impressive performance of her career to date, and it improved her Octagon record to 6-1 overall. That was enough for Dern to move up significantly in the rankings. In the latest UFC rankings update, Dern moved up to No. 5 in the promotion at women’s 115lbs. In turn, Nunes dropped from No. 5 to No. 7, and Claudia Gadelha, Michelle Waterson, Tecia Torres, and Amanda Ribas all dropped a spot, as well.

Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Nina Nunes issued a statement following her first-round submission loss to Mackenzie Dern at UFC Vegas 23. Nunes entered the fight with Dern as the betting favorite, but she suffered a first-round defeat when Dern was able to get her down to the mat and tap her out with an armbar. For Nunes, it was her first fight in nearly two years due to becoming a mom, and the ring rust showed in the cage. However, she is still a top-10 ranked fighter in the women’s 115lbs division, and the loss won’t drop her too much in the women’s strawweight standings.

Adam D Martin - April 12, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight standout Mackenzie Dern has issued a statement following her submission win over Nina Nunes at UFC Vegas 23. Dern was facing the toughest test of her career to date in the form of Nunes when she fought her at this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 23. Though Dern was the betting underdog heading into the fight, she showed the odds were completely wrong as she was able to quickly get the fight to the ground and grab the arm of Nunes and finish her by submission. With the win, Dern improved to 11-1 overall in MMA including a 6-1 record in the Octagon.

Chris Taylor - April 10, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 23 event, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland. The highly anticipated middleweight main event proved to be a one-sided affair. Marvin Vettori used the same blueprint as Derek Brunson to frustrate Kevin Holland on route to a lopsided unanimous decision victory. The Italian showcased his strong wrestling skills to dominate ‘Trailblazer’ on the canvas.