What’s next for Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill after UFC Vegas 73?

In the main event of UFC Vegas 73, top-15 strawweights headlined the card as Mackenzie Dern took on Angela Hill.

Dern entered the fight coming off a majority decision loss to Xiaonan Yan back in October in another five-round main event. Hill, meanwhile, was riding a two-fight winning streak as she beat Loopy Godinez and Emily Ducote by decision.

Ultimately, it was Dern who dominated the fight from start to finish and won a one-sided decision to get a much-needed win. Now, after UFC Vegas 73, here is what I think should be next for both Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill.

Mackenzie Dern

Mackenzie Dern got a huge win on Saturday night as she entered the scrap being 1-2 in her last three. Dern was someone many viewed as a future title challenger but after main event losses to Marina Rodriguez and Yan, her future was a murky one.

Yet, at UFC Vegas 73, Dern looked as good as she ever has as her striking was on point while she was also able to get the fight to the mat, which was a problem against Rodriguez and Yan.

Now, after UFC Vegas 73, a logical next fight for Dern is to face Rose Namajunas. The former champ hasn’t fought since May of 2022 but when she returns, she will get a top contender and Dern is a big name for her. The fight can likely be a main event with the winner likely a win away from a title shot.

Angela Hill

Angela Hill is likely a gatekeeper at this point as she is now 2-4 in her last six and 3-6 in her last nine. However, she still puts on entertaining fights and has a big following that the UFC can still give her fun matchups.

Hill will likely need to fight someone below her next time out and a logical matchup is to face the winner of Tabatha Ricci vs. Gillian Robertson on June 24. Both Ricci and Robertson would deserve a chance to fight a vet like Hill with a win, and the timelines could line up for a September or October scrap.

What do you think should be next for Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill after UFC Vegas 73?