Mackenzie Dern faced one of the UFC’s longest-tenured female fighters at UFC Vegas 11 and she still managed to come out on top, earning a first-round submission finish. Things have been a little tough as lately for Dern in her MMA career after she started off with a perfect 5-0 record when she was awarded her UFC contract. After overcoming a tough opening fight against Ashley Yoder, she quickly started to show the reason why BJJ fans everywhere were excited for her arrival with a first-round finish over Amanda Cooper.
With a strong start to her fledgling career, Dern chose to take a little time away from the sport to have a baby with her husband. Upon her return in 2019 she faced Amanda Ribas and lost by a pretty comfortable margin when the fight went in to the judge’s hands. Looking eager to bounce back quickly and reinstate her position as a top contender in the Women’s Strawweight division, she submitted Hannah Cifers with a kneebar in her last fight.
This was her position going into UFC Vegas 11 and she entered the cage with a desire to prove that the only loss of her career was just a blip that will be forgotten before long. She managed to put on another impressive display against Randa Markos and locked up an armbar within the first four minutes of the fight. With a 9-1 record and having produced a submission finish in 6 of those fights, it looks like Mackenzie Dern is the threat to the Strawweight division that BJJ fans always knew she would be.
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